Brave: The Stones of Fate
by Blu Wolf 23
Summary: A few months after the witch's spell had been broken, things were finally returning to normal in the Scottish Highlands. Although Merida has yet to find her knight in shining armor, things change when a mysterious visitor shows up. Secrets will be revealed, bonds will be formed and patience put to the test as our heroine tackles the challenges that fate continues to throw at her
1. Lost?

Chapter 1

Lost?

The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon when Elinor strode into the slumbering princesses room. She pulled back the curtains, allowing the sun's golden rays to pour in from outside. The birds were chirping, and the aroma of breakfast being made downstairs wafted into the room seconds after the curtains had been displaced.

"Merida, time to wake up dear." The Queen told her daughter gently.

A simple groan from under the covers was the only reply she got.

"Come on, we don't have much to do today. If you hurry up and wrap up your teachings, you can go out and do some shooting." She told the princess.

"I can't, you ruined my bow, remember?" The youth grumbled.

The Queen felt a ping of guilt in her chest, she had yet to replace her daughter's cherished weapon.

"Well maybe you can go out and spend the day with dear Young Macintosh." She suggested.

"Mom, we broke up months ago." The Princess moaned.

"Well then I have a goal for you today then, young lady." The Queen said sternly as her daughter slowly got out of bed.

"What would that be mother?" The young girl asked as she stretched her arms.

"Go out, spend sometime with the people. You may just find someone new." The Queen instructed.

"Mom, I'm done with dating right now. I gave it a shot with Macintosh and he ended up breaking my heart. I knew it would happen, but I went out with him anyway." The Princess grumbled.

"Well, that just means he wasn't the right one." Her mother explained.

"Maybe there is no one for me." The youth murmured.

"Merida, love is something that can not just be brought to you. Even if you are royalty, love is something that everyone ,royalty or peasant, needs to go out and find." Her mother explained, turning her gaze from the rising sun to her daughter.

"It isn't just something that just...falls out of the sky!"

"_**SQUAWK!"**_

"Castle!" a voice shouted

"_**SQUAWK!"**_

"Pull up bird brain!" the voice cried.

"_**BA-BOOM!"**_

Merida quickly sprinted downstairs to see what the commotion was about. While the Queen looked at the fiasco occurring outside with a grin.

"I stand corrected." She muttered, before making her way downstairs as well.

"Oi, what do you think your doing lad!" King Fergus bellowed, upon seeing the giant trench that had been created in (for lack of a better word) his lawn.

Guards surrounded the crash site, weapons at the ready.

The creature was a Griffin, a beast with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. The Griffin's eyes were blue, it's beak a golden yellow. It had white feathers and fur except for a tuft of black fur atop its head as well as black paws. The creature's master was lying face first in the grass. A sword impaled in the ground a few feet away from him. The boy was dressed in a navy blue long sleeved tunic and tan colored trousers. He slowly got up with a groan, pulling his sword out of the ground and seating it in the scabbard that was strapped to his back. He also had a round bronze war shield strapped to his left arm, it looked worn, covered in scratches, dents, along with scorch and bite marks. The boy had brown eyes and jet black hair that was awfully dusty from the crash landing and a pair of goggles hung from his neck.

He kicked the Griffin in the side of the head. The creature got up after squawking in irritation. The boy didn't pay it or the armed welcoming party that surrounded him any attention. He simply pulled a map from one of the Griffin's leather saddle pouches and unfolded it. He looked at the map, and then at his surroundings for several minutes before rolling the map back up and putting it back in it's pouch.

"This is _**not **_the Far East." He concluded.

"_**SQUAWK!**_" The Griffin replied.

"I told you to take a right at Rome but NOOOO. You had to follow your instincts." The boy grumbled.

"_**SQUAWK!**_" The Griffin protested.

The Boy merely rolled his eyes before turning to King Fergus, who looked very befuddled.

"Uh hi, I'm sorry we destroyed your lawn." He said nervously.

"Well, it's quite alright lad. After all it's just grass, and I doubt you did it on purpose." The King replied.

"Haha trust me, sir, we didn't. Normally we have much smoother landings." He told The King.

"Dad what's going on, who's our guest?" Merida asked upon arriving at the scene.

"Ugh where are my manners, my name's Spiros and my Griffin's names is Vasilis." The boy said upon seeing the princess.

"_**SQUAAAAWK**_" The Griffin cooed slyly.

"Can it, feather face!" The boy hissed under his breath.

"You can understand _it?_" Merida asked the boy.

"It's a him and yeah, of course I can. He raised me." He replied.

Everyone burst out laughing as the boy and his beast shared a confused glance.

"So what brings you to DunBroch, lad?" King Fergus asked the young traveler.

"Well I kinda got lost actually, I'll probably stay here for a day or so and then be on my way." He replied.

"Well, can't argue with a man who sounds like he knows what he's doing." The King replied.

"Where do you plan on staying the night?" a guard asked.

"I have a tent and enough supplies to make myself a campsite. The only thing I'm lacking is food." The traveler explained.

"_**SQUAAAAWWWK**_" The Griffin groaned.

"Well your welcome to have breakfast with us." Merida told the duo.

The boy gave his Griffin a nervous glance before replying.

"Well I really don't want to impose, it'd have to be alright with your parents before I old even think about accepting and even then..."

Fergus cut the boy off with a laugh and a friendly hand on the shoulder.

"No worries lad, in my home there is always room for one more hungry adventurer."

"Alright, If your sure it's no problem." The youth said shyly.

"Merida, introduce the boy to your mother. In the meantime I'll lead his mount to the stables, and later you can acquaint him with Angus." The King instructed.

The Princess nodded and then motioned for Spiros to follow her. The duo walked in silence for a minute or so before speaking.

"So where are you from?" Merida asked breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm from Greece." He explained.

"Is that near the southern ocean, by Rome?" She asked.

"Yeah, around those parts." He replied.

"I imagine it's a lot warmer over there, based on what I've heard from other travelers." She told him.

"Yeah it is." He said flatly.

The two walked in silence for another minute or so before Spiros noticed the sideways look she was giving him.

"I bet your wondering about the fact that I'm here all by myself, huh?" He asked.

"Well yes, I mean I know my parents wouldn't allow me to go off gallivanting into some foreign land. Well...at least my mom any-who." She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Consider yourself lucky, at least you have parents. I was raised by a creature many thought were a myth." He mumbled.

"Ok seriously, did you runaway or something. If you did, it's ok. I mean it's better then admitting that then lying about being raised by a beast." She scoffed.

"Listen princess, I would be happy to tell you that it's all a joke, but the reality is its not. My parents were killed when a gorgon attacked my village and killed everyone I knew. The 'beast' you are referring to saved my life and raised me as his own." The boy snapped.

"I'm sorry, I honestly thought you were joking." She said sheepishly.

"Oh how I wish I was." He said sadly.

"So is that sword your father's?" She asked.

The boy drew the rusty weapon with a sigh, the blade made an audible _**"EEEEEKKK" **_noise as he pulled it from its sheath. It didn't look like much, the blade looked fairly dull and was covered in rust. The hilt was dusty and in the center were 6 dull gems that looked more like rocks then precious stones. The leather grip on the sword was falling apart and there were a few cracks in the handle.

"I know it's a piece of junk, but it's saved my life several times and its all I have left of my family." He muttered, clearly crestfallen.

"I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't offend you at all." She said, clearly ashamed.

"Its alright, you didn't know any better." He replied.

"Me not knowing any better has gotten me into a lot of trouble before." She said with a grin.

" Well sounds like we'll both have a few stories to tell after breakfast." He replied as they entered the castle.

"Mum, I'd like you to meet someone!" The young Princess called as they entered the dining room.

"Is is that young fellow who crashed earlier, is he alright?" The Queen replied.

"Yes mum, he's actually more than alright. He's a traveler who's a wee bit short on food. He'll be having breakfast with us." Her daughter explained.

"Oh lovely, I bet he has some interesting stories to tell. Tell me lad, have you ever had haggis before?" She asked him.

"No Ma'am, I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure." He replied, taking his sword off his back and removing his shield from his arm before setting both items down next to a chair.

Queen Elinor chuckled before looking at her daughter.

"Seems like he can teach you a few things, dear."

"It's gonna take a lot more then a boy atop a flying steed to break my bad habits." Merida said with a chuckle, taking an apple from a wooden bowl and taking a large bite out of it.

Just then King Fergus burst into the room.

"Hello dear, I'm sorry about the last minute house guest, but I figured we might show our newfound friend some good ole fashion hospitality." He told his wife.

The Queen felt something burning against her neck. She looked down at the polished emerald pendant that her husband had given to her as a wedding gift years ago. She saw a series of images in the stone. She saw...the circle of stones where Mordu had been killed. Then she saw the ruins of the old clan which once belonged to him, finally she watched as the ruins of the castle began reconstructing itself, slowly returning to its former glory. In the midst of all this she saw her daughter, clearly weary from battle standing back to back with the very boy who had just arrived. She had two arrows notched into her bow, ready to fire. The boy had his shield up and his sword drawn. The scene returned to the circle of rocks before fading away.

"Elinor, is something wrong? You were muttering just now." Her husband asked, gently putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Uh...no...nothing is wrong. I was just saying that you need not worry about our last minute guest." She then turned to glance at the young traveler.

"He got here just in time." She muttered.

_A.N- Well I hope I didn't butcher any of these characters. I just saw the movie yesterday with my brothers and I got an idea for this story during the drive home. This story will probably be just under twenty parts long. Which is a decent length...I think. I plan to have CH2 up ASAP. Until then I hope you enjoyed this intro to my story._

_-Blu Wolf 23_


	2. Mischief and Friendship

Chapter 2

Mischief and Friendship

Spiros looked around the large room that was dining hall, for a kid used to eating all his meals next to a campfire. This was a big shift from the norm. Merida was trying to get her three brothers (Harris, Hubert and Hamish) to sit down so that the family could eat in peace. King Fergus and Queen Elinor were conversing about various developments involving the other three clans. The young traveler wasn't very concerned about that, he was too busy looking at Merida.

She seemed like a very nice energetic girl, although there was something about her eyes that showed him who she really was. She was independent, fiercely loyal, adventurous and someone who was not afraid to speak her mind. Apart from a similarity or two, they were polar opposites. He was cautious, shy and could only be brave under extreme circumstances. Although he hadn't always been like that...but those days were over. He had the curse to prove it.

He quickly realized he had been staring at the princess for at least a minute if not more some decided to socialize with his hosts.

"You guys have an awful lot of wood carvings." He said.

Merida chuckled and the King and Queen grinned.

"Funny story about that..." The Princess said sheepishly.

Then a group of servants entered the room, carrying trays of food.

They served everyone before retreating into various areas of the castle to do chores.

The family and their guest ate mostly in silence, asking an occasional question before returning to enjoying their meal.

"Do you like the haggis, lad?" Fergus asked Spiros.

"Yeah, it tastes like cattle." He replied with a smile.

"Well actually, it's a boiled sheep stomach." Merida explained.

"Interesting..." The traveler replied.

"Merida, I almost forgot. The boys are going log sledding today. I was wondering if you could go with them, since your father took them last time." The Queen asked her daughter.

"Sounds like fun, would you care to join us Spiros?" The Princess asked.

"Sure, I've never been log sledding before." He replied.

"I did it all the time when I was a young man, it's definitely a way to get some hair on your chest." Fergus explained.

"Well since all of you have are done with breakfast, you're excused." Elinor told the five children.

They all got up and made their way out the door. After going to leave his shield with his Griffin, Spiros rejoined Merida and The Triplets. The hiked through the forest in relative silence, observing various birds and other wildlife.

"So what's your story, Princess?" Spiros asked his newfound friend.

"Not much to tell really, I'm next in line to become queen, my brothers...well we're not exactly sure how that's gonna work. I've lived here all my life, and I love archery and my horse Angus." She explained.

"Becoming a Queen, no pressure." He said nonchalantly.

"Ugh, you have _**no **_idea." She grumbled.

"So I'm guessing you've found Mr. Right by now." He said, glancing at her.

"No, not yet." She replied.

"What, are you kidding me?" He asked.

"No I'm not, why?" She mumbled.

"You're beautiful! How could someone not want to win your heart!" He exclaimed.

_"Did he really just call me...beautiful? Funny, I didn't exactly put on my Sunday best this morning." _She thought.

"Well there was this one guy, but he broke up with me a few months ago. He never really said why, it doesn't matter though. Even though he said he loved me, I don't think he meant it." She said, a little crestfallen.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, unsure of what else he could say.

"Meh, it's alright. I'm pretty much over him now, I've got my eye on someone new." She told him.

"Oh, that's good." He replied, sounding a little disappointed. Although the Princess failed to notice this.

"However...there is one wee problem." She grumbled.

"What's that?" He asked.

"This boy, he's my ex's best friend." She murmured.

"Whoa, that stinks." He said, casting his gaze downwards.

"Haha yeah, they'll be here in a day or two with the rest of the clans for the annual Shadow Seeker Competition." She told him.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Every year, the Clan Elders seal off a section of these woods and then stock the Sacred Grounds with monsters and traps. It's all just a vivid illusion though, no one is really sure how they do it." She began to explain.

"So what happens if someone gets hurt or killed?" He interrupted.

"You get knocked out, then you wake up back in medicine room at the Castle." She replied.

"Ok, creepy. Anyways, you were saying." He said with a nod.

"Right, the object of the competition is to make it into the temple and go down into the catacombs to slay the creature that guards the clan banners, which are all placed there weeks in advance, and claim your clan banner and bring it back to the assembly area. First team back wins." She told him.

"How many kids to a team?" He asked.

"Just two, one team for every clan that enters. Winner gets to sit at the head of the table at the Victory Feast, and a favor from each of the clan leaders which can be used at anytime. That's great and all but the best thing is you get bragging rights." She said with a grin.

"So I'm guessing your competing then, huh?" He asked.

"No, I don't have a partner. Your not allowed to compete alone, and all the other boys in the village don't want to be put on the Princess's team." She grumbled.

Then she looked over at him, a grin spreading across her face.

"Spiros, are you any good with that sword?" She asked.

"I can hold my own." He replied.

"I know this a lot to ask of someone who I've just met today but...would you be my partner for the competition?" She asked, giving him a innocent look that would of made any guy's heart melt.

"You guys have agreed to feed me for as long as I'm here, it would be the least I could do to repay that. Not to mention that I'm always up for helping a friend." He replied.

"You consider me a friend?" She asked.

"What else would I consider you?" He replied with a shrug.

Just then they arrived at their destination. They were at the top of a large steep muddy hill that flattened out just a few feet away from a lake. A few chunks of wood jutted up from the ground. Merida pulled the two taller ones out of the earth while The Triplets pulled up a shorter one that was nearby.

"Ok so this is how log sledding works. Boys, show him." She instructed her brothers.

The Triplets all lifted the hunk of wood over their heads and backed up a couple feet. They than ran forward at top speed and then at the last second threw the log out in front of them and jumped on as it raced down the hill. They screeched with joy as they leaned left and right to avoid obstacles such as small rocks and potholes before they reached the bottom of the hill. They all leaned back and put their right foot out and drug it along the grass. The log slid to a halt inches from the lake. They quickly picked their 'sled' up and cleared out, giving their sister and Spiros a clear path.

"You get a running start and then lean to steer. We however use the lake to stop ourselves, the boys can't though. Dad is still teaching them how to swim." Merida explained walking behind a bush.

When she emerged she was dressed differently, instead of a emerald dress she was dressed in a white swimsuit of sorts that was a simple tunic that wrapped around her torso, leaving her arms, shoulders and legs exposed.

"This ought to be more suited for the lake, don't you think?" She asked.

"Um sure..." Spiros replied, scratching the back of his head and doing his best not to stare. He then glared at one of The Triplets (Harris) was mocking him by making smooching noises, upon seeing the suggestion that his brother was making, Hubert reached into the lake and pulled out a fish promptly smacking his brother in the face with it before releasing the fish back into the lake. Hamish on the other hand glared at Spiros as if he were a Roman coming to besiege their castle.

When he turned his gaze back to Merida, she was already half way down the hill and gaining speed as she approached the lake. There was a good sized splash when she went in. She resurfaced secconds latter, teeth chattering and her hair covering most of her face but smiling none the less.

"Cccome onnn iin...the water is...not thatt ccold." She shouted.

Spiros simply set his log down and walked back the way they came.

"Yyou big BABY!" Merida shouted.

Then sprinting out of the treeline, Spiros emerged (shirtless) and jumped onto his log. Except he was riding it while standing up as opposed to Merida and The Triplets who stayed on their knees. Towards the bottom of the hill was a rock that Merida and her brothers usually avoided. Spiros however sped right towards it, he hit the rock just right and used it as a ramp to send himself flying over Merida's head and into the lake creating a splash that managed to get The Triplets a little wet.

When he surfaced Merida clapped briefly and The Triplets gave him a nod of respect.

"You're gonna have to teach me to sled like that someday before you leave. Except that wasn't sledding per say, it was more like..." She paused trying to think of the right word to say.

"Mud surfing?" He asked.

"Yeah, mud surfing!" She replied.

The rest of the day consisted of various trips up and down that hill before Merida concluded that nightfall was upon them. The group made their way back to the Castle for supper. After eating a delicious meal consisting of lamb chops and various vegetables, Spiros thanked the family for their hospitality and then retired to the stables for the evening. He found his Griffin curled up next to a bale of hay and a lantern.

"What a day." He said with a sigh, plopping down in the hay.

"_**SQUAWK. **_" Visilis replied.

"Haha yes I did have fun." The youth replied, pulling out his journal and cataloging the day's events.

"_**SQUAWK**_?" The Griffin asked.

"Yes as a matter of fact, she is very cool. Not what you would expect from a princess." He explained.

"_**SQUAWK!**_" The Griffin screeched.

"No, no chance at all. She's got her eyes on some other native guy. It wouldn't work anyways, not with the Romans still after us. The last thing I want is another Constantinople." He replied.

The Griffin shuttered at the memory.

"Not to mention she's a princess, I'm not royalty. Just the orphan child of a fisherman and his wife. A drifter, going where the wind takes me...or where my steed decides to crash land." He grumbled.

The creature gently poked him in the side with it's beak.

"Well I guess I've always got you. Plus, I remember what you taught me when I was little. _'Girls are nothing but trouble, all they do is turn hearts to rubble.'_

"Thats a little harsh don't you think?" Merida asked.

Spiros heard his Griffin make a noise that sounded like laughing as he turned to face the princess.

"How long were you standing there?" He asked her.

"Just got here, but don't change the subject. Boys can be just as bad as us girls." She chided.

"Yeah that's true, but still." He replied.

"Of course it is, anyways what are you up to?" She asked after sitting down next to him.

"Just filling in my journal." He replied, showing her pages upon pages of writing.

The Princess took the book from him and scowled at the writing before handing back to him.

"I can't read it." She grumbled.

"It's in Greek, that's probably why." He explained, before showing her the back pages which were various sketches of places he had been. She saw the Colosseum, The Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China and she also saw sketches of monsters like the Cyclopes, a Wyvern, Sirens and the Chimera. He went on about his encounters with these creatures and how he and Vesailis had barely gotten away, he also told her about the people he had met, the places he had seen and other tales of his travels.

"That's incredible." She said at the end of it all.

"It's sounds great, but trust me it's not. I've hurt people, I've made mistakes, I don't even have a home. It's just one campsite after another." He explained.

"Well maybe it's time you found a place to call home." She told him.

"No, it's not safe. I'm endangering you all just by being here. Once I help you win the competition, I'll be long gone." He told her.

"I'm sorry to hear that...is there anything I can do to help?" She asked.

"No, I appreciate the offer though." He replied.

Although she looked disappointed, she accepted the answer.

"Well we've got training to do for the competition. Meet me by the gates at dawn." She instructed.

"Are you sure you'll be able to get up that early princess?" He asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher then I look." She replied.

"That's obvious." He said with a grin.

"Haha well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow...partner." She said, slugging him in the arm in a playful manner.

He flinched and groaned in pain.

"Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard did I?" She asked.

"No, you just hit an old wound." He replied, still in pain.

"Oh, sorry." She grumbled.

"No worries, goodnight Merida." He said while rotating his wrist around.

"Goodnight." She replied, getting up and walking off.

Once she was out of sight. He pulled up his sleeve to inspect his burden.

The cursed steel chain was still there, constricting his entire arm and glowing with glyphs embedded into the steel that made it impossible to remove. That monster Tiberius had fused this _thing _into his arm. Ever since, he could not remove it until he unraveled the riddle the Roman Praetor had left him. _Find what you have lost, and become what you were once again. _The youth sighed, as long as this thing was still wrapped around his arm Tiberius could use his staff to find out exactly where he was and where Tiberius goes death follows him. Things were quite simple right now, resolve the curse and decimate Roman Legion that hunted him or surrender and be killed. Spiros had made his own option, run and run until the problem fades with time. It had worked so far, it was a great plan. It's funny though how things like Love could derail even the greatest plan. Spiros chuckled at the thought of this before pulling Vesailis' wing over himself like a blanket and drifting off to sleep.

_A.N- Well I'm glad this has been so well received so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you did the previous one. Next chapter there will be some more backstory stuff along with some action. So stay tuned!_

_-Blu Wolf 23_


	3. Trial by Fire

Chapter 3

Trial by Fire

Spiros awoke to the feeling of cold water being splashed onto his face.

"Wakey Wakey!" Merida shouted as he sat up spluttering.

"What was that for?" He asked, clearly agitated.

"It's way past dawn, the other clans are on their way. They'll be here to train by lunch, and I want you to be at least a little prepared for your initiation." She grumbled.

"Initiation, what are you taking about?" He asked.

"In order to compete , you need to be a member of a clan. Since you weren't born here, you'll have to complete a trial to become an honorary member." She told him.

"What's the difference between an honorary member and a person who was born here?" He inquired, purely out of curiosity.

"Well if you pass your trial, your basically a member of the clan. The only things you can't do is own a house, join our military and you can't get married." She explained.

"Oh, ok." He said, standing up and stretching.

"If you managed to do a heroic deed, then you would be treated as if you had been born here. That rarely happens though." She added.

"I'll keep that in mind in case I decide to stay here." He told her, gathering his gear.

After strapping his shield to his arm, the duo began making their way to the Training Arena that had been set up near the docks. Various people were running around making preparations for the competition. Three large tent cities was being set up in a wide open field, one for each of the visiting clans. Various other forms of entertainment were being setup, like a makeshift outdoor theater and a large tent with an elevated wooden floor that would be acting like a ballroom.

"So is there anything else I should know about this competition?" Spiros asked the Princess.

"Well after we do the actual Shadow Seeker event, which is retrieving our clan banner from the catacombs, the rest of the day consists of smaller events. Archery ,dueling, a sailing race, among other things. However, during that part of the day anyone in our clan can compete although we'll probably be doing most of it." She replied.

"Wow, all that in one day?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Haha yeah, then there's the party which goes from dusk to dawn. It's tradition to stay up all night." She told him with a grin.

"Then everyone goes home that afternoon, right?" He asked.

"Nope, everyone will most likely be asleep for most of the day after the competition. They'll probably go home the day after that the earliest." She explained.

He chuckled before replying.

"Whoa, sounds like it'll be a great party."

"It always is, but that's not our priority. We need to win the Shadow Seeker event. Clan Macintosh has been on a winning streak for the last six years. Our clan hasn't even come close to winning since my Dad and his friend won when they were our age." She grumbled.

"Well, don't worry Princess, your ex's winning streak is about to end." He told her with a determined look on his face.

"That's the spirit!" She exclaimed as they arrived at the arena.

"So about my initiation, what do I have to do exactly?" He asked.

"Well, you'll face a random challenge in the arena while the clan elders and lords watch. If they unanimously approve, you'll be accepted into the clan. If you fail, you have to wait a year to try again. If you fail horribly, then you can _**never**_ try again." She replied nonchalantly.

"Well, ok then." He murmured, clearly worried.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great." She assured him as they entered the arena.

The duo quickly went to work, the arena was essentially a large circular sandpit filled with pressure plates. When someone stepped on a plate, a wooden practice dummy would spring up from the sand near the plate that had been triggered. The purpose of this was mainly for sharpening reflexes. Needless to say, Merida excelled at hitting her target, her arrows found their mark every time. Usually hitting the head or square in the chest. Spiros was quick on his feet, managing to strike every target with a shield bash or a swing of his sword. The duo moved almost in tandem, striking down their 'foes' in perfect unison before advancing closer to the center of the arena. Which was the safe zone, an area where there were no pressure plates.

Slowly but surely they cut a swath through their wooden adversary's and into the heart of the arena. Both of them were out of breath when they arrived, Merida immediately dropped her bow and began spinning around out of pure joy.

"Your incredible, the best swordsmanship I've ever seen! You might even be on par with my father!" She squealed.

"You really think so?" He asked, sheathing his sword.

"Of course, you were moving like..it...it was like you were in air!" She stammered, clearly excited.

"It was how I was trained, precision and fluid strikes can be more powerful then hard aggression." He explained.

"_**MACINTOSH!**_" a group of voices bellowed.

"_**MacGUFFINS!**_" another group of voices shouted, although they sounded a little farther away.

"_**DINGWALLS!**_" The last group called out, they sounded the closest.

"Sounds like the others are here, and they're early." The Princess said with a sigh.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Spiros followed his partner out of the arena via the way they had came in. Realizing that the pressure plates they had stepped on needed to be reset before they could be triggered again.

They arrived at the docks at the last of the boats docked. The first people he met were the Dingwalls. Lord Dingwall was a short man, with a big attitude. He quickly realized the Spiros wasn't from anywhere in Dunbroch.

"Who's your friend, Princess?" He asked.

"Lord Dingwall, this is Spiros, he's from Greece and will be undergoing his initiation within the hour." She explained.

"Well you better impress me boy, my approval doesn't come easy." He hissed before walking away.

"Seems like a nice guy." Spiros grumbled.

"Spiros, I'd like you to meet Wee Dingwall. He's the only son of Lord Dingwall." Merida told her friend, drawing his angry gaze away from the cranky lord.

"Not to mention a potential suitor for you, Princess. You look lovely as always." The whit haired boy said with a goofy grin.

"Thank you...um... you look...nice as well." She replied, clearly uncomfortable.

"Farewell my fair maiden, until we meet again." The strange boy told her with a smile before walking away.

After they got a fair distance from him, Spiros rolled his eyes.

"Weirdo." He muttered.

The Princess did her best to contain her laughter.

Then she led him to two tall broad shouldered men with blonde hair (one had a beard that Zeus himself might of envied). Merida curtsied before speaking.

"Lord MacGuffin, I'd like you to meet Spiros. He'll be undergoing clan initiation soon. I just thought you would like to meet the lad before your asked to judge him." She explained.

"It's an honor, sir." Spiros said before bowing.

"I look forward to see you in action lad. Give it your all, that's all _I_ will ask of you." He instructed firmly.

"I will." The young greco replied.

The pig tailed man nodded in approval before lumbering off down the docks.

The second man walked up to the duo. He bowed to the princess and then garbled out some gibberish as extended his hand to Spiros.

"Um...I'm Spiros. What did you say your name was again?" He asked, shaking the young man's hand.

"This is Young MacGruffin. He's a wee bit hard to understand at times." The Princess explained.

"Ok then." Spiros replied.

The son of the lord said one last bit of gibberish before bowing again to Merida and going off to find his father.

"He seems...friendly." Spiros murmured, obviously confused.

"Hello Princess!" a voice cried.

Spiros turned to see who had said that.

He saw a broad shouldered boy that was a little bit taller then he was, and looked significantly stronger. He had a war hammer strapped to his back. The boy had short hair that was not exactly blonde but not brown either. It was rather a mixture of both. He had icy blue eyes that seemed friendly. Although, the way he carried himself. It seemed as if he was the exact opposite, something was off about this guy.

"Hello Jon." Merida said, shooting Spiros a quick glance as if to say:

_"He's the one I told you about!" _

"Who's your friend?" Jon asked, glancing at him.

"Oh him, his name is Spiros, he's just passing through. In fact he's going to be my partner for the competition." She explained.

"Nice to meet you." Jon said, giving the Greco a nod.

"Like wise." He replied half heartily.

"Princess, good to see you again." said a man with long black hair, blue eyes and blue war paint covering most of his face.

"Lord Macintosh." Merida said, curtsying.

"Ah is this the one we'll be judging later?" The lord asked, gesturing to Spiros.

"Yes my lord, this is Spiros." She replied.

"Well then, I wish you the best of luck lad." He replied before walking down the docks to catch up with his fellow lords. Behind him was a slightly younger more muscular young man who looked to be his son, he gave Merida a nod but did not stop to chat. He merely followed his father down the docks.

Spiros turned to the Princess.

"I'm assuming he's..."

"Yes, he's my ex. Young Macintosh." She replied.

"You deserved better." Jon told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks." The Princess muttered.

"Your welcome." He replied.

The trio began making their way back towards the arena, where Spiros would face his initiation challenge. Jon and Merida quickly began a lengthy conversation. Jon also had the audacity to put himself (physically) between the Princess and Spiros, effectively cutting the Greco out of the picture. He simply walked in silence next to the Princess's crush as the two talked up a storm. It quickly became apparent that she really did like this guy a lot, and the feeling appeared mutual based on how Jon was acting. Spiros detached himself from their two way conversation and let his mind wander off to other places. He attempted at recalling occasions where this exact predicament had it occurred, sadly he was unable to do so.

"Lad!" an elderly voice bellowed, pulling Spiros out of his thoughts.

Standing before him was an elderly man with thick grey hair and bright blue eyes. The man's face was heavily wrinkled and he had bushel of hair growing out of his ears and nostrils. He wore a robe with the Dunbroch clan emblem on the chest and carried a wooden staff in one hand, a thick wisp of mist was rolling off the top of the staff as if it were a smoking chimney.

"Grandfather, I see your up and about." Merida said with a smile.

"Aye lass, ever since your father began accepting the old ways again, I've had a reason to go out from my humble abode every now and then." He explained.

"It appears my little...misadventure really did change things around here." She replied with a laugh.

"That it did young lady, that it did." The old man said with a hefty laugh. He then turned his attention to Spiros.

"So I'm guessing your the one my granddaughter has told me about." He said with narrowed eyes.

"Yes sir, should i gain acceptance into your clan, I'll be Merida's partner for the Shadow Seeker competition." He replied, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

The elder suddenly got a far away look in his eyes.

"Ah yes, the competition. If only Seona were here today..."

"Grandfather!" Merida snapped.

"I'll die before I forget what happened, no matter what your parents believe!" He snarled before storming off.

Merida crossed her arms angrily with a groan.

"Well his kilt will be in a knot for the rest of the day." She grumbled.

Jon looked at her uneasily, he then decided to speak:

"Um...who's-"

Merida cut him off with an agitated look.

"Listen, if you needed to know I would tell you. However, the fact of the matter is you don't. So don't bother asking." She shouted before storming off as well.

"Whats her deal?" Jon asked, turning to Sprios.

"I don't know, you two seem like _such_ good friends. I would figured you of all people would know." The Greco replied harshly before leaving as well.

Jon, confused about the entire situation, threw his arms up in frustration before sitting down at the edge of the dock.

Spiros managed to catch up with Merida, she still had her arms crossed in anger. It was clear that she was holding something back. Whether it was tears or a fit of rage remained unclear.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that...my Grandfather should know better then to bring _her _up." She replied, then she looked back at the docks. Her eyes full of worry.

"Is Jon mad at me for snapping at him like that?" She asked.

"No, I think he's more confused then anything." He told her.

"I better apologize to him later, after I cool down a little more." She murmured.

"Sounds like a plan, I'm sure he'll understand." He assured her.

"Are you ready?" She asked, turning her gaze to the Greco.

"Not quite." He replied, turning his gaze to the sky.

"Visilis!" He shouted.

The cry of his Griffin rang out across the landscape, a blur shot up from the castle grounds. It climbed high into the sky before swooping down over the arena and docks. The creature landed in front of the duo with a thud. Much to the alarm of several people, including Lord Dingwall and his son who readied their weapons.

"Don't fret princess, I've got this. YAHHHHHH!" Wee Dingwall screeched charging the Griffin who turned its head to the oncoming threat and roared, knocking his attacker over.

"Son, are you alright?" Lord Dingwall asked.

"What?" His son replied.

"Everyone please, this is Spiros' mount. He's perfectly tame, no need to make a big fuss." Merida told the distressed warriors.

There was a collective sigh of relief as weapons were sheathed, soon everyone went back to their lives. Lord Dingwall and his son locked eyes with Visilis before heading to the arena.

"Thank you for not tearing him to shreds." Spiros said after they were out of earshot.

"_**Squawk.**_" The creature sounded almost...ashamed.

"No I'm not mad, he started it." His human companion replied.

The Griffin sighed with relief.

"Now, if you would hold still for a moment. I need my weapons." The Greco instructed, opening one of the saddle pouches.

After grabbing two knives and a single spear, Spiros instructed the Griffin to head back to the stables. Then he and Merida made their way back to the arena to find that it had been radically changed.

The sand pit was now an actually pit that had been lowered in a sinkhole that was about twenty feet deep. Spectators stood on the edge, looking down into the dimly lit pit trying to see what challenge awaited Spiros. The Elders stood on an elevated platform that sat on the northern edge of the pit.

Elder Dunbroch was there, and he still looked pretty upset about his standoff with Merida. Elder Macintosh was standing next to his fellow elder. The elder's extremely long and thick white hair and cataract ridden eyes made Spiros unsure as to how the man would judge him if he could barely see. This Elder had a staff as well, except his was topped with blue crystals. Elder Dingwall was sitting down at the edge of the platform. The elder was bald and sat in a hunched over position. He leaned on his iron staff, looking very weak. Finall Elder MacGuffin joined his fellow Elders on the platform. He had a staff made of bones. He also wore a bear tooth necklace and had various wooden charms braided into his long grey ponytail. The clan lords joined the Elders on the platform, with each lord moving to stand next to their respective elder.

"Come on,I've got to get you down there." Merida told her friend as the Lords called for quiet. She quickly picked up a crossbow and readied a zip line bolt. She fired it into the center of the pit and then tied the line off the line to the nearest tree. She then handed him a small chain with a handhold on either end.

"There you go, your all set." She said.

"Thanks, I'll do my best down there." He assured her.

"You'll do great, just stay sharp." She instructed.

He nodded, then he had an idea as he slung the chain over the rope.

"You know, a kiss for luck would be nice." He said as slyly as possible.

The Princess rolled her eyes.

"You don't need luck!" She replied with a snicker, shoving her friend down the zip line.

Spiros was now speeding into the pit, once he was a few feet off the ground he let go of the chain and dropped to the floor in a crouch.

The sand began shifting at his feet as he heard the Elders pounding their staffs on the platform. He saw someone cut the zip line he had used to get in as the ground began to rumble even more. Instinctively, he drew his sword and readied his shield. Then the sand at the heart of the arena began turning into a vortex. The Greco back flipped out of harm's way as a monster emerged from the sand.

It had blood red scales, purple serpent like eyes, long fangs at least as thick as a tree and just as long. Two forelegs, and lizard like hands with long serrated white claws. It resembled a large snake as it made the rest of it's body visible. It had no hind legs, but it did have three tails. Spikes tipped each of the tails and ran up the spine and stopped toward the back of its short neck. Venom dripped from the creature's jaws and sizzled as it hit the ground. The smell of rotting flesh and sulfur overwhelmed Spiros to a point at which he felt ill. It noticed the spectators above and shot a jet of fire at them via its nostrils. Then it turned its attention towards our hero and roared so loudly it shook the walls of the pit.

"No need to worry Spiros, he's only a baby Lindworm. Not even technically a dragon, just watch out for his venomous bite!" Merida warned from above.

This _**baby **_was probably about the size of a small ship and took up at least half of the arena. It's jaws we're so huge it could easily swallow a trio of cows whole. Spiros put up his sheild in order to keep himself alive as the creature shot a jet of fire at him. Surprisingly, he escaped relatively unharmed. The serpent hissed before snapping at him with its jaws. He quickly rolled out of the way and lunged at the serpent with his sword. He struck the creatures neck with the edge of the blade but it merely bounced off as if he had struck a boulder.

While he thought about what to do next, one of the serpent's tails wrapped sound his ankle. He yelped as the serpent hoisted him into the air and threw him into the wall. Spiros dropped the floor with a groan of pain.

"Oh, that one must of hurt!" Young Macintosh shouted.

Spiros snarled as he got up, bringing up his shield again as the serpent sent a jet of flames straight at him. The wave of heat would be enough to make most pass out, but the Greco held on clinging to the edges of consciousness. He could smell the sulfur and burnt venom in the air. It made him want to gag. Then he felt a sharp pain as the creature used it's spiked tail to cut open his leg. Blood began flowing out of the wound almost immediately at an alarming rate.

There was a the sound of distressed murmuring amongst the crowd, but Merida started shouting words of encouragement at her friend.

"Come on, show 'em what your made of!" She shouted.

The young Greco went on the attack, surging forward and leaping up and stabbing one of the serpent's eyes as it prepared to shoot out another jet of fire. He back flipped out of range of the creatures claws but had to roll of to the side as the monster tried to impale him in the chest with one of its tails. Then he noticed another tail coming in from his left, he promptly sliced the spike tip off with one swing and then put up his shield again as the creature hit him with another jet of flames.

The third tail managed to sneak up on him from his right. It whipped up from the sand and quickly reached around and drove its spiked tip into his shoulder blade. A wave of pain shot down his shield arm from his shoulder to his fingertips. However he managed to keep his shield up despite this. The serpent continued its attack with the jet of fire, slowly backing its prey against the wall. The heat from the fire was so great the sand in front of Spiros was beginning to turn to glass.

Merida watched this from above, still cheering her friend on, but growing ever more concerned. She readied her bow just in case things got out of hand. She quickly notched two arrows and got into a firing position where she would target the back of the serpent's head, should she be forced to fire.

"Looks like Macintosh has this year in the bag!" Jon said to Young Macintosh.

"It appears so my friend." He replied.

"Come on lad, don't give up!" King Fergus shouted, surprising almost everyone.

Down in the pit, Spiros' arm was weak from holding his shield up for so long. He heard a collective yelp of fear as he felt his arm give way and his shield dropped, but he quickly recovered. Merida saw her friend's strength wavering and took a firing position.

"Come on Spiros!" She shouted, not wanting to have to intervene.

"Princess, if you fire, he fails!" Elder Dingwall bellowed.

"So be it, you old coot." She grumbled to herself.

Then the serpent ceased it's hellish bombardment. Spiros quickly dropped his shield, only to find that the serpent was surging forward. He grunted as the creature rammed him with it's head, knocking him backwards and into the wall. The serpent hissed and used its tail to lift the Greco up and slammed him into the ground several times before retreating just a little. Then it prepared to finish our hero as he tried to get up.

Spiros' ears were ringing, his eyes stung as he tried to blink out the sand. He could hear the collective chatter of the crowd above. They were all hurling insults at him and the princess. Things like:

"The weakling does not belong!"

and

"Fate refuses to grant victory to outsiders, especially in The Pit!"

The Greco did his best to stand up straight as the serpent readied another jet of fire. From above he heard Merida shouting at him to put his shield up. Instead he waited, when he heard the screams of the crowd he reacted. He did not put his shield up at first, he dropped to one knee and drove his sword into the ground. He felt the cursed chain wrapped around his arm tighten to an extreme. He put his shield down towards the ground as well, it appeared as though his arms were making an arrow shape pointing at the ground. The flames hit him head on, but... they did not burn him. They wrapped around him in a diamond shape. He felt the heat and he could smell his bangs as they burned. However, the rest of his body remained intact.

He felt the chain tighten even more, to a point where he could feel his arm about to snap, he stifled a scream of pain as the creature ceased it's attack. Once the roar of the flames drowned out, the Greco noticed the crowd was now eerily quiet. He rose from his crouched portion, his shield charred, but relatively intact. He yanked his sword from the ground and noticed that the blade was now glowing red hot from the intense heat. He too was sweating, but the cool air of Dunbroch made his weapons steam. Ceasing the opportunity, The Greco threw his sword into the beasts forehead. The blade sunk through the serpents scales with ease, unlike before. The monster wailed in agony. Up in the crow, Merida breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know how her friend was still alive, but she was glad she hadn't fired her arrows.

Spiros took out his spear and did his best to stay on the serpent's blind side. He waited for the creature to snap at him with its jaws and when it did he drove his spear into the roof of its mouth. The serpent hissed in agony and thrashed it's head around. It managed to dislodge the spear with its thrashing, but the gaping wound it had left was now being infected with its own venom. The monster began to sway, it's legs buckled and it fell onto its side and then rolled onto its back, exposing a patch of shedding scales.

"Finish it!" Merida shouted.

Spiros rushed the creature's head as it thrashed and screeched, it's own venom tearing it apart from the inside out. It shot a quick jet of fire at our hero, but he managed to dodge it with a forward roll. The Greco yanked his sword out of the serpent's forehead, then proceed to climb up the side of its neck and onto its belly. Then he ran towards the weak spot, raising his sword above his head and bringing the blade down with as much force as he could gather. The serpent wailed one last time before falling silent. Spiros back flipped of the monsters belly as it began to dissolved into black mist. He swung his sword at the air twice before spinning it around in his hand and sheathing it.

The crowd above applauded, chanting the Greco's name. He merely sighed with exhaustion, not even the Makhai had given him that much trouble. The entire floor rumbled again, the arena was being lifted back upwards to the surface. When he arrived the crowd did not run in and congratulate him, they had to wait for the Elder's decision. The Greco dropped to one knee and dropped his gaze to the sand.

"Spiros, stand and be judged." Elder Dunbroch commanded.

He did as instructed, although he did feel uneasy. The Elders and Lords were sitting down at the edge of the platform. They had no emotion on their face, no hint of what they thought of him.

"Lords and Elders, stand now if you believe this young warrior has earned his place amongst Clan Dunbroch." King Ferus bellowed.

The Elders and Lords of Dunbroch and MacGuffin stood immediately. A few seconds later, the Lord and Elder of Macintosh stood as well. However both of the Dingwalls remained sitting. Spiros felt his heart sink as King Fergus' shoulders sagged, he prepared to speak again only to find that Elder Dingwall was getting up, _**on his own**_ , for the first time in years. Lord Dingwall got up as well, he had a small grin on his face.

Suddenly, the color drained out of the world and time stood still. Spiros felt a strong bitter presence in the air around him. He tried to move but found that he was suck in place.

_"Vanguard, hear my words. Come to my unmarked grave deep within the glen in two days time when the moon has reached the peak of its climb. We have much to discuss." _ a voice commanded as color returned to the world and time unfroze and things carried on as if no disturbance had occurred.

"Spiros, we commend you on your bravery in The Pit. From this day on you shall be a member of my clan!" Fergus shouted, the crowd burst out with cheering.

Then a shadow shot up from The Pit, and it swooped down onto the platform. Elder Macintosh stuck out his staff and absorbed the shadow into it. Then, resting at the stop of the staff, was a red snake hatchling made out of smoke. No bigger than a earthworm. The 'Lindworm' had been nothing more then the spirit of the monster , if things had gotten out of hand in the arena. Elder Macintosh would have been able to recall the beast for the lad's safety.

"You did it!" Merida shouted, running up to her friend.

"Yeah, guess I did." He replied.

"See I told you!" She said.

"Told me what?" He asked.

"You didn't need luck!" She reminded him.

The Greco couldn't help but laugh, but he staggered and the Princess came to his side. She allowed him to rest against her, the duo began making their way back to the castle. They walked in relative silence, then they heard a voice calling after them. It was Young Macintosh and Jon.

"Hey Spiros, just wanted to say: nice job!" Jon said as he caught up to them.

"Thanks." He replied.

"Looks like this year will be a challenge." Young Macintosh grumbled, obviously referring to the competition.

"Try to keep up tomorrow!" Merida told the duo as they turned back around and went to their tents.

"We should probably train some more." Spiros told his partner.

"I think the only one who needs training is me, _**you**_ need to get some rest." She replied.

"Are you sure?" He asked as they arrived at the stables.

"Positive, you've earned your keep for today." She assured him, gently setting down in his bale of hay next to Visilis.

"Earned my keep, what am I? A horse?" He asked with a laugh, digging through a saddle pouch for medical supplies.

"Haha no, I didn't mean it like that. The bottom line is that you've done enough for today. Get some rest, I don't need you driving yourself into the ground the day before the big competition." The Princess told him.

"As you wish, your majesty." The Greco replied jokingly.

The Princess sat next to him as he wrapped his wounds. She sighed before speaking up:

"I need to get something off my chest."

"I'm all ears Princess, fire away." He replied.

"Do you remember my...outburst?" She asked.

"At the docks, yes I do." He said after finding the supplies he was looking for.

"Well do you remember who my grandfather brought up?" She murmured.

"Umm..the name was Seona, right?" He asked.

"She was my sister." The Princess explained, looking very crestfallen.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at her. Wrapping his wounds could wait.

"She was born a year after I was. She was beautiful in so many ways. She was the exact opposite of me. She loved being mom's little princess. She was smart, polite, everything that I struggle to be." She told him with a sniffle.

"Go on, I'm listening." He assured her.

"We were best friends, I mean...we had our arguments but we were sisters. I still loved her, and although she was a better princess then I was. We still had those moments where it was just her and me against the world." The Princess's eyes were swelling up with tears.

"One day, we got in a really bad fight. She broke the bow my father had given me on my birthday, just before she was born. I got so angry, I let it all out. I blamed her for taking my place in the family, how everyone thought she was better then me. It all just snowballed from their, I told her that if she loved me and our family she would get out of my life. So that night, she ran away." She explained, tears running down her cheeks.

"Then a few days later, we found her cloak in a cave, all shredded up. She was gone, she died thinking that I hated her. Ever since, I've never told my parents what I told her that night. They would kill me if they find out I had driven their favorite daughter to death." She burst into tears, Spiros merely hugged his friend and gave her a shoulder to cry on. She did her best to continued the story.

"We hardly speak of her anymore, and few know that she ever existed. If I ever got the chance to speak to her again, I'd take it all back. All the things that made her run away, it's just one if the many stupid things I've done to my family. I turned my mum and my three brothers into bears! All because I was being stupid and selfish, just like I was the night my best friend ran away." She shouted before bursting into tears again. Spiros allowed her to stop sobbing before he began speaking to her.

"We all make mistakes. I'm sure your sister is watching over to know, and I'm positive she would forgive you, that includes your parents. They seem like very nice people, and I doubt they have a favorite child." He assured her.

She slowly stopped sniffling, sitting up and wiping her tears away.

"You..you really think so?" She asked, staring at the horizon.

He nodded.

She sighed shakily, then looked over at her friend.

"Thank you for listening, I think your the only person who knows that story who's not a member of the Royal Family." She murmured.

"Don't worry, I won't go around telling everyone. This can stay between you and me." He told her.

She nodded, still looking shaken up.

"I guess I'll catch you later. I've got to go take some music lessons with Mum." She said, standing up to leave.

"Ok, I'll catch you later...partner." He replied with a playful look on his face.

She smiled just a little before walking away.

He sighed and quickly finished wrapping his wounds. Then he laid down in the hay and decided that a nap sounded quite nice. As he fell asleep, he felt someone ruffle his hair, at first he thought it was the wind but it somehow...it wasn't, it was truly strange.

"Thank you." a voice whispered, the voice was similar to Merida's only...this one sounded just a bit younger. Spiros tried to ask who the voice belonged to but sleep swept over him before he could force his eyes back open.

He wouldn't remember the incident when he woke up.

_A.N- Hello my readers. I do believe this was the longest chapter to date. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I greatly appreciate all the reviews I am getting and I will look to ensure that I address anything that reviewers point out. This has been my most reviewed fan fic yet and I'm excited to get to writing the next chapter ASAP. In the meantime, keep your swords sharp and your quivers full. Things are about to get interesting._

_-Blu Wolf 23_


	4. Shadow Seekers Pt 1

Chapter 4

Shadow Seekers

Part 1

As Spiros slept, he had his first dream in years. Although it was more of a flashback then a dream. He saw his mother telling him one of his favorite stories. It Involved a brave hero, forging a mighty weapon with the help of the Griffins. He would then set out on a quest to slay the dark lord who ruled over a mysterious land. He would then empower his sword with a mysterious song. His mother would sing this song:

_"Let the old become new._

_Allow the weak become strong._

_Let the dull become sharp._

_Allow the fearful to be brave._

_Let the night flee, _

_and may the sun of a new day rise in its place."_

However she would never finish the story. He would always ask what happened to the hero, had he rescued the fair maiden, did he ever see his family again, did he defeat the dark lord. No matter how much he wanted to know, she would always reply the same way.

"The ending is up to you."

So he would make up his own ending. The hero rescued the maiden, defeated the dark lord, and rejoined his family and soon after started his own. He then laid down his sword and lived a peaceful life.

Sadly, he was many things back then.

Naive was one of them.

He pried his eyes open as the memories faded away. The sky was dark and his stomach was growling like a lion. Was It was...nighttime? He must've slept for quite awhile. He slowly got up and looked around for any indication of what time it was. He could hear muffled chattering from the tent city. He even heard what sounded like Elder MacGuffin complaining about why they had to get up so early.

He yawned as he stretched his arms. The wounds he had received yesterday were still stinging a bit and he was a little sore but other than that he was ready to start the day. The sun was not even up yet but he still felt full of energy. He was ready to mop the floor with his fellow competitors. He quickly began packing supplies into his black leather backpack. He kept his two knives hanging from his belt, but realized that he lost his only spear. He would have to acquire a new one before departing tomorrow. He rugged through his supplies and manage to find more medical supplies and a small canteen filled with water.

He also decided it would be best to bring a lantern, since they we're going into catacombs. Finally he packed his grappling hook and some medicinal herbs used for counteracting various types of poison. He loved his backpack due to its thin design. He could wear his shield over the pack and no one would be able to notice. He looked around for his sword and shield but could not find either. Then he found his shield, propped up against a nearby wall.

It was charred beyond recognition. The surface was still warm from being bombarded by fire. The heat the shield had been placed under yesterday had ruined the metal. A child wielding a dagger could probably stab through it after a few well placed strikes. He sighed and shook his head. He had possessed this shield forever, it pained him to see it in such poor condition.

However, he figured that after all these years of protecting him from danger, it was time for this family heirloom to be retired from service. He strapped it to Visilis' back carefully, in order not to wake the Griffin up. Then he prepared to set off to find Merida. He found the family wide awake in the dining hall, eating breakfast.

"Oh good you're up, I was just about to come over and wake you." The Princess said upon seeing him.

"Would that have been with or without a bucket of water?" He asked.

She laughed.

"I hadn't really thought about it." She replied.

"Have you seen my sword?" He asked her.

"Yup, It's in that chest over there." She said flatly.

The Greco walked across the room to the wooden chest.

"Why is in here?" He grumbled, opening the chest.

"Well I decided it would only be fair to have the thing...cleaned up." She explained, walking over to him.

He pulled the sword, which was still in its leather sheath, out of the chest and drew it.

"After all, it is your birthday!" She exclaimed.

The sword looked brand new, the rust had been cleaned off the blade. It looked as if it had just been forged. The bronze blade shimmered like it was made of gold, the dusty hilt was now back to its original state: polished steel. The bronze handle was repaired and was wrapped in a new black leather grip. The hilt's six dull 'gems' had been pulled out. Turns out they had once been one sapphire, but over time chunks had fallen out, making look like there were six different gems in the hilt. Now a new gem was in its place, a rare sky blue gem. Finally, engraved in the blade was the word 'Dunbroch' in Greek. The clan emblem was also engraved into the center of the blade.

"How did you know?" He murmured.

"I hope you don't mind, I went through your journal while you were sleeping. I found another person who came here from Greece and they helped me and Lord Dingwall's blacksmith with the engravings. We did our best to keep everything the same, I remember what you said about it being the only thing you have left of your family." She explained shyly.

"No I don't mind, It looks great!" He told her, a smile appearing across his face.

_"He's looks very handsome when he smiles, it's a shame that he almost never does though." _The Princess thought, but quickly suppressed the thought.

"That's a gorgeous gemstone, what made you pick it for the hilt?" Queen Elinor asked.

The Princess blushed.

"Well when I was going through his journal, I found out the he thinks I've have: _eyes as clear and breath taking as the Aegean sea._" She replied shyly.

Spiros chuckled nervously, slowly turning red.

"Haha and to think, she gets her eyes from me." King Fergus said with a chuckle.

"Spiros, do my husband's eyes remind you of any ocean?" Elinor asked with a chuckle.

The Greco only turned redder.

"Mum, stop. You're embarrassing him, on his birthday!" Merida protested.

"It was a fair question!" Fergus replied, batting his eyelashes at Spiros.

Everyone laughed, including the birthday boy. Whose face was still as red as the Merida's hair. Then after the laughing subsided, the Princess turned her attention back to her friend.

"There's more in that chest." She told him.

The Birthday boy reached into the chest and pulled out his second gift. It was a heater shield, made of a light weight material. It was clear though that it was a strong shield. It had steel reinforcing the three edges. Engraved in each of the edges was the name of one of the three clans. These had been translated into Greek as well. The shield was colored navy blue and had an amazing design painted onto it. a white lightning bolt going to strike a red serpent with a grey eagle in a dive, parallel to the lightning bolt, talons poised to strike and beak open in a fierce display of power.

"My parents and I felt a little bad that your shield had been ruined. So my dad called in an old favor from one of Lord Dingwall's finest blacksmiths. They made you this shield. It's infused with special charms. Which makes it lighter and stronger." She explained.

Spiros' eyes were the size of apples, he seemed at a loss for words.

He reached into the chest and pulled out his final gift.

It consisted of a steel chest plate that would go under his new dark blue short sleeved tunic which had the Dunbroch clan emblem on the each of the sleeves . He also found a pair of brown leather gloves which were fingerless, a bronze colored chain mail that would protect his upper body, a new pair of brown boots , a single bronze shoulder guard with all the clam emblems engraved into its center ,and finally grey trousers and a grey long sleeved shirt that would go under his tunic and chain mail.

He glanced at Merida, who motioned to the stairs.

"The clan leaders are to thank for this one. Go put it on, and come back down so we can see." She told him.

He ran up the stairs, and came back down all dressed up. New shield strapped to his left arm, shoulder guard on his right arm. Refurbished sword strapped to his back underneath his dusty backpack.

Merida and The Triplets stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him.

"Wow, talk about a knight in shining armor." The Princess teased.

"Haha no, I'm not even worthy of such a title." He scoffed.

"Not with that attitude." She replied with a raised eyebrow.

She then pursed her lips before continuing.

"In all seriousness though, do you like it?"

He simply walked forward and gave her a big hug in reply. Now Merida was never was one of those girls who like hugs. Especially from people she didn't exactly plan on getting involved with romantically, but she decided to let this one slide. She slowly hugged him back, blushing just a little.

"I'll take that as a yes." She murmured.

"It's the first birthday present I've gotten in years, so...yeah. You would be right, it's a yes." He replied.

"Haha good to hear." She replied, suddenly finding herself enjoying that hug just a _little_ more.

The duo then ate a perfectly sized breakfast. Big enough to fill them for the day, but light enough so that they wouldn't make them sick due to the strenuous physical activity they would be partaking in throughout the day.

While Merida went upstairs to pack her own supplies, Spiros made his way down to the arena in order to find out where the competition would be starting. As he walked through town he got complimented on his new attire and he got happy birthday wishes from pretty much everyone. In response he would just reply with a simple thanks or a friendly nod. He found it do strange that this community had accepted him so quickly. Perhaps it was because he was practically boarding with the Royal Family, or the fact that he had a giant feathery bodyguard. This was a key personality trait of his, he constantly overanalyzed things. Always thinking that people had ulterior motives to their actions. He was incapable of looking at things in a simplified manner. This has lead to him developing minor trust issues and a general lack of faith in someone's word.

He continues down the dirt path to the arena where the other teams were hanging out. He began checking out the competition. Young Macintosh and Jon were obviously a team. Macintosh was armed with a bow and a two handed sword, while Jon had a war hammer and a tall rectangular shield with his clan's emblem engraved onto the front.

Young MacGuffin, armed with a huge two handed axe, had been paired with a lean blonde haired boy armed with two short swords and a crossbow. He looked pretty nervous and was probably the youngest of them all. It seemed as if Young MacGuffin was trying to give his partner a pep talk, but it was clear that the boy didn't understand a word his partner was saying.

Finally, Wee Dingwall carried a spiked mace and was paired with a muscular girl in full body armor, brown pig tailed hair and carried a sword and a battle axe. She was far taller than Dingwall and looked way stronger as well. It was no wonder he had chosen her as his partner. He was pretty smart for doing so.

In summary, Spiros and Merida would be going against Team Macintosh, who were set on winning and probably planned to be fast and aggressive right from the get go. Then there was Team MacGuffin. They probably had speed and power on their side and would crush anything the Elders set before them using teamwork. Finally, there was brains and brawn. Team Dingwall would avoid unnecessary fights and fight only if they had to. If they did encounter a monster or two, it wouldn't slow them down much.

Spiros knew he and Merida would have to be quick, smart and aggressive if they even hoped to have a shot at beating the others to the catacombs. While the Greco pondered this fact, his partner took her place beside him. She still had her hair down and had her bow slung over her shoulder and a huge quiver along with a backpack. She wore a black cloak over her dark purple dress which had silver embroidery along the waist, elbows, chest, and neckline. She also wore a black leather bracer on her left arm. Which would keep loose clothing from catching the bow string and protect her arm from injury, caused by either the bow string of the fletching of the arrow.

"You gonna be able to run in that dress, Princess?" He asked her.

"Are _**you**_ going to be able to keep up, birthday boy?" She replied.

"Hey Spiros!" a voice called out.

The Greco turned to see Jon walking up to him.

"How's your birthday going?"

_"It was going fine until you came over here." _He thought.

Then he pushed away those thoughts and replied out loud.

"Great, I got some new stuff. Courtesy of Merida and her family, as well as the other clans."

"That's good to hear, and it appears your bow is all spruced up now." Jon replied before turning his attention to the Princess.

"Yeah, Mum had my old bow that she burned remade. It's the exact same as it was before. It's not the same, but its close enough for me." She explained.

"It shouldn't have been burned in the first place, your Mom seems kinda of uptight, not to mention a little mean." He told her.

"No she's not, we were in the heat of an argument. Things were said and done that should have never been done or said. Regardless, it's over now and we're both stronger because of it." She replied sharply.

"Now you're starting to sound like her." He grumbled.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's called growing up, a concept you have yet to grasp." Spiros grumbled.

"My partner wants a word with you." Jon said through clenched teeth before walking off.

Merida sighed before speaking.

"He can be very immature at times, and it greatly annoys me."

"He'll learn eventually, although walking off like that doesn't help his case." Spiros told her.

"He doesn't handle pressure very well, not to mention that there are days when he just aggravates me to no end." She grumbled.

"That seems apparent." He replied.

"You should go talk to Young Macintosh, I need some time to talk to Jon." She told him.

"Ok, I'll catch up with you when they call for us to assemble." He replied.

"Sounds good." She said.

The duo went their separate ways.

Spiros walked up to Young Macintosh, who was sharpening one of his swords.

"Morning." He said.

"You wanted to talk to me?" The Greco asked.

"Yup, about the little love triangle you've started." He replied.

...

"Jon, why are you acting like this?" Merida asked.

"I'm not acting any differently then I normally do!" He snarled.

"Yes you are! We're fighting like this, you get annoyed when I tell you about how I just want to be friends with Macintosh, and above all there are days when you just act like a big jerk!" She exclaimed.

"I thought you hated Macintosh!" He grumbled.

"No, I don't. I never said that! I thought he hates me!" She shouted.

He simply rolled his eyes.

"Look I'm sick of all this drama between you and him, move on. You deserved better anyways!"

"I'm trying to move on, why do you think I want you." She murmured.

"Well to me, it seems like you're interested in your new buddy!" He shot back.

...

"Love triangle, what do you mean?" Spiros asked.

"Jon thinks you have feelings for Merida." Young Macintosh replied.

"What do you think about it?" The Greco replied.

"Personally, I'm angry just because Jon even wants to go out with her. I specifically asked him not to do that. Besides, I think you're a better match for her anyway." He explained.

Spiros felt his eyes get bigger and his brain go numb.

This was crazy, this had never happened before. It had always been the opposite. When he and another guy had eyes on the same girl. Almost everyone was rooting for the other guy. However, now not only was there someone rooting for him, it was the other guy's best friend.

"You really think so?" He asked.

"Um yeah. Jon is kinda of self centered. It may seem like he cares, but he doesn't. Whenever he talks about her theses days, it's usually a complaint. He may seem like a big tough guy, but underneath he's pretty insecure." Macintosh replied.

"Anything else I should know?" The Greco asked.

"Well there is one more thing. They ate supposed to be going out officially in about three weeks, but it's not gonna happen. Jon says she's already promised to date him. He however isn't interested anymore, but he doesn't plan on telling her." He sighed before continuing.

" Now, I know your gonna want to rush over and warn her about this. I don't blame you, but I would wait. If you tell her now, Jon is going to deny it all. Then you'll look like the bad guy. When you feel it's time to let her know, do it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Spiros asked.

"You seem like a good guy and like I said before, you would probably be a better match for Merida then Jon. In all honesty though, I could care less who she ends up with." He explained.

Then a horn sounded, and the teams began walking off to a tent that was located by the tree line.

"The competition is about to start, good luck...with everything." Macintosh said before walking off.

"Thanks." Spiros replied.

He had to admit, it all seemed a little fishy. Jon's best friend telling him all that info in the interest of helping a guy he barely knew. Yet, he didn't care about the outcome of it all. Regardless, until he knew better. He would wait on letting Merida know Jon wasn't interested in her anymore. He pushed the thoughts of romance aside, right now he had a competition to win.

...

"Spiros is just a friend, nothing more!" The Princess exclaimed.

"You seem to talk to him a lot more then you talk to me!" Jon replied.

"It's kind of because you live in a different clan, while he stays here in the stables. Not to mention that when I do write you in my letters, you hardly ever reply. Even when you do, it seems like your being short with me." She grumbled.

In the distance, a horn sounded.

"I have to go." She murmured, turning around and walking away.

Jon simply rolled his eyes. In a month, none of this would matter. He would never have to talk to her again. To him, this Princess wasn't worth winning.

...

Spiros stood behind the line that had been drawn in the dirt. The competition was about to get underway. Then, Merida took her place next to him. She looked agitated.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine, it's just...ugh...the way Jon is acting. It infuriates me." She grumbled.

"Save that anger for the monsters." He told her.

"I plan to." She hissed.

Then another horn sounded and King Fergus called for quiet.

"Good morning everyone!" He bellowed.

"Today we compete to see which clan has the best Shadow Seekers. Now, before we begin. My wife, Elinor , will remind you all of the rules. Then, I will introduce the teams. After that, we will start the competition." He explained, before gesturing to his wife.

"Alright, competitors. Listen up!" She instructed after yawning.

"The rules for this competition are very basic ones. At the sound of your clan horn, you will go down the paths that are directly in front of you. You are not to use another team's path. All these paths lead to the Sacred Grounds. They are also littered with monsters and traps."

She looked a Merida nervously before continuing.

"If you are incapacitated at any point during the competition, you will be warped to the Castle medicine room. Where you will awake at the end of the competition. Another thing, you are not to interfere with any other team you encounter, except on the final stretch. Please avoid severely injuring each other with your weapons during that time. Finally, when you retrieve your banners you must get them back here, and there must not be a thread out of place. Anyone who violates these rules will be disqualified."

The competitors all nodded in understanding.

King Fergus then introduced the teams.

"Competing for Clan MacGuffin, Young MacGuffin and Lennon!"

Lord MacGuffin and his followers began cheering.

"Competing for Clan Macintosh, Young Macintosh and his brother in arms: Jon!"

Lord Macintosh and his clan stood up and hollered out war cries in a language Spiros didn't understand. There were also girls screeching at the top of their lungs.

"Next we have Clan Dingwall, its competitors are Wee Dingwall and his terrifying cousin: Helga!"

Helga picked up Wee Dingwall like he was torch and waved him wildly through the air. Lord Dingwall and his people practically started a riot.

"Finally, competing for Clan Dunbroch: my lovely daughter and renowned sharpshooter Merida and her friend, slayer of the Lindworm and rider of the Griffin: Spiros!"

The whole crowd went crazy, and the Elders even began pounding their staffs in approval. It appeared that they were the fan favorite this year.

"We need a battle cry." Merida told her partner.

"For what?" He asked.

"When your clan horn sounds, you're expected to shout something." She explained.

Just then a horn went off and Young MacGuffin screeched out some gibberish as he charged into the woods.

"Well said, boy!" Elder MacGuffin shouted as the crowd cheered.

"Cant you think of anything!" Spiros asked the Princess.

Another horn sounded, Jon and Young Macintosh raised their weapons and shouted:

"For glory!"

They charged into the thick brush, and presumably encountered trouble instantly. The sound of metal clanging against metal echoed across the starting area.

"No I can't, my heart is pounding right now!" The Princess shouted.

Another horn. Wee Dingwall surged forward, with Helga crying out like an angry bear while he shouted:

"For honor and love!"

He then looked back at Merida and winked before disappearing into the brush.

Suddenly Spiros had an idea, it was bold and crazy. However, it would definitely leave a mark.

The horn sounded as he drew his sword, the sun was peaking over the horizon. The rays of light lit up his polished blade, making it look like his sword was ablaze.

"For Seona!" He shouted surging forward. Immediately a skeleton warrior jumped out. Its eye sockets glowed green and it had an axe in one hand and a shield strapped to its other arm. He charged right at the monster, slicing its legs out from under it. He then spun around as it fell and stabbed it in the back of the head. The skeleton dissolved into a pile of ash.

He looked at Merida, who was staring at him. Her eyes as big as apples, it was clear she was in shock. Part of the crowd was cheering louder than before, while some muttered in confusion. Elder Dunbroch appeared to be on the verge of tears, while Queen Elinor already was wiping her eyes, King Fergus looked amazed and yet a little somber.

The Greco then looked at his partner again.

"Come on!" He shouted.

The Princess snapped out of her trance and raced off to meet up with her partner. Then the duo disappeared into the trees.

...

Spiros sprinted down the path with Merida in tow, he had sheathed his sword and was now focused on getting to the Sacred Grounds before the other team.

"Spiros, slow down!" The Princess shouted.

"We can't, the other three teams have a huge head start!" He told her.

"No they don't, we have the advantage! If they sent us out last, then we have the shortest trail out of everyone. That's the balancing factor, everyone will probably get there at the same time." She explained.

The Greco slowed his sprint to a fast walk, within seconds the Princess was at his side. Then she grabbed him by his shirt collar and shoved him against the nearest tree.

"I can't believe the stunt you pulled back there." She whispered.

"You said think of a battle cry, so I did." He protested.

"I know, but that was not really what I had in mind." She replied.

"I'm sorry, it just popped into my head. I hope you're not too angry with me." He murmured.

"Angry with you? Actually, I'm very touched that you did it. You practically made me break down in front of the whole kingdom." She grumbled.

"Sorry, that wasn't my intention." He replied.

"It's alright, besides it was very sweet. However I don't think a thank you is a proper reward." She said with a grin, leaning a little closer to him.

He felt himself turning red, was _she_ going to _**kiss**_ him?

She started leaning in even closer. He saw her eyes flutter. His heart was pounding, was this really happening? Their faces we're just inches apart. She had pressed herself up against him, her heart was racing as well. The butterflies in his stomach were rising as she closed in, then her eyes darted upward and she slowly backed away.

_"Aw Hades, of all the days for there to be garlic in my breakfast. Why today?" _He thought.

She quickly drew her bow and fired an arrow.

Then a skeleton warrior with a scythe in hand and an arrow in his eye fell from the branches above. He landed with a thud before turning into ash.

"Nice save." Spiros told her.

"Thanks...we should get moving." She replied, continuing down the path.

Spiros cursed under his breath. The moment they were having had been ruined. The mood had changed from romantic to slightly awkward in less than a fraction of a second. The Greco kicked the pile of ash before setting out to follow his partner.

...

The duo had been walking for quite some time now. They would occasionally jog or sprint for a few minutes if they thought they needed to make up some ground. They were fairly silent for most of the walk.

Then out of the blue, a horn sounded off. It was the MacGuffin clan horn.

"That's surprising." Merida murmured.

"What is?" Spiros asked.

"When a horn sounds off like that mid competition, someone was warped back to the medicine room at the Castle. It sounds like it was someone from the MacGuffin team." She explained.

"Why is that surprising?" He asked.

"Usually Team Dingwall is the first to lose someone, which explains why Helga is competing this year." She replied.

"Yeah...makes sense." He murmured as they continued walking.

"You know what else is weird?" She asked him.

"What?" He replied, scanning the trees for monsters.

"The fact that we haven't run into very many traps or monsters." She explained.

"Isn't that a good thing?" He asked as they began pushing through a bush.

"Yeah, but I was just hoping this would of been a lot harder." She explained.

Then they both slipped on the ledge of a steep rock face. They were sent rolling and siding down the gravel covered hill. At the bottom of the hill was a steep drop into a dark gorge.

Merida grunted as she tried to stop her uncontrolled roll to the edge. In the process she lost half a dozen arrows, which fell out of her quiver and into the darkness of the gorge. Spiros grunted as he got onto his belly and drew his sword. He drove the blade into the hill with a grunt. The action slowed his descent, but Merida was very close to the edge of the hill. He reached out and grabbed her hand as she fell off the cliff. Then he did his best to drive his sword a little deeper into the earth. This managed to stop them, however his partner was still dangling above the gorge.

"Did you have to say that?" He asked once he caught his breath.

"Oh don't worry about me, I'm just a little cut up, but I appreciate your concern." She replied sharply with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sorry." He grumbled.

They were now stuck. Spiros couldn't pull himself up, let alone her. They couldn't drop down because there was no telling what was at the bottom of the gorge. If they did nothing, they would end up finding out one way or another.

Then Merida heard something...water...running water. It was close. She looked to her left. At the far end of the gorge was a waterfall that went cascading down into the gorge. She knew the Elders wouldn't have their trail end at a cliff. There was probably an underground spring below them.

All they had to do was take a leap of faith.

"Spiros, we need to drop down into the gorge!" She exclaimed.

"Are you crazy, then we'll be warped to the medicine room! We'll lose!" He protested.

"The Elders wouldn't send us to a dead end. There has to be a body of water down there." She assured him.

"How do you know for sure?" He asked.

"There's a waterfall over there that empties into the gorge. It's all got to be flowing somewhere!" She told him.

"I don't know..." He murmured.

She squeezed his hand.

"Trust me!"

The Greco sighed heavily. It was there only real option.

"Alright, but for the record this was _**your **_idea!" He grumbled before dislodging his sword from the hillside.

He slid off the hill and let go of her hand. He then sheathed his sword, and angled himself downwards.

"Keep your legs straight when you hit the water, and make sure to point your toes!" He instructed.

She did as he said as they fell into darkness. Then they hit something with a loud _**SLAP-SPLOSH! **_It was a small but deep pool of water. It didn't take long for Spiros to lose his orientation in the dimly lit water. He looked around, realizing he was quickly running out of air. Then he blew a few bubbles and followed them by watching which way they floated. He ran out of air and passed out just as he surfaced.

Merida clambered out of the lake slowly, dragging her partner ashore as well. She was coughing up water and her scratches and scrapes from her fall down the gravel hill stung a bit ,other than that she felt pretty good.

She laid her friend on his back and sat down next to him. While waiting for him to wake up, she checked her supplies. She had lost several more arrows during her unplanned swim. That left her with eleven arrows. She cursed under her breath. She would have to stick to her backup weapons and use her remaining arrows wisely. Then she noticed that two of her three bolases were gone. They had been strapped to her backpack, but her impact with the water must have shaken them loose. Finally she noticed a set of tracks leading from a nearby tunnel and into the darkness of the catacombs.

It was Macintosh and Jon no doubt, the tracks appeared to be fresh though. They couldn't have been too far ahead. She suddenly felt alone, sure Spiros was there but he wasn't exactly _all_ there. After all, he was unconscious.

"Hey...wake up." She grumbled, knocking on his forehead like it was a door.

The Greco began coughing as he slowly opened his eyes. He drew his sword as he begun to stand up. He looked around, trying to regain his bearings. Then he noticed something scurrying in the darkness.

"Merida, we have company." He murmured.

She quickly got up and readied her short sword. Then Spiros took out his lantern and set it alight. What they saw made them panic. They were outnumbered by the pack of creatures. Their foes were giant spiders the size of Angus. They had dozens of glowing orange eyes, and a set of tree trunk sized fangs. They had 8 main legs that were probably used for walking, while they had two shorter appendages located towards the front of the body. These had sharp curved tips made of bone and were most likely used for stabbing prey or to act as ways to cut lines of silk during the web making process.

"Lurkers, they have a habit of hunting in packs." Merida whispered.

The Spiders appeared to have thick black hair that was matted with dust, dried up slime and the remains of old meals. The pack leader, who was a little bigger than the rest hissed at our heroes. He then went into striking position. He raised his fore legs and arms into the air and raised his fangs. In the process, he exposed his weak spot. It was a patch of yellow flesh on the inside of the mouth.

"So it's six against two, right?" Spiros asked.

"Yeah, something like that." The Princess replied with a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Seona hated spiders." She replied.

Then a spider jumped from the shadows to their left. The dodged the creature as it landed with a thud and then stabbed the ground with its arms. It quickly realized its prey wasn't there and reorientated itself so that it was facing our heroes.

They quickly went on the attack. Spiros surged forward and sliced the creature's fangs in two with his sword. Merida jumped onto the spiders back and began stabbing out its eyes.

"Behind you!" She shouted as she saw another creepy crawly jumping at her partner.

The Greco spun around and drop to the floor. He landed on his back and pointed his sword at the incoming monster. Just as planned the creature unintentionally landed in the blade. Spiros then pulled his sword out of the creatures belly and drove it into the salivating mouth as he felt the Spider's fangs tickling his scalp, a few more seconds and his head would have been filled with venom.

The creature hissed in agony as amber colored goop began pouring out of the mouth and onto Spiros' face. He did his best to ignore this and rolled out from underneath the spider as it rolled onto its back and exploded with a loud _**POP**_, sending goop flying everywhere.

Merida was holding on for dear life as the arachnid thrashed and jumped , trying to throw her off it's back. When it stopped to rest, she would drive her sword into its head again and the ride of terror would start again. Eventually the spider made an error and jumped into the nearby spring.

It hissed and thrashed as Merida swam to shore. It was clear these things could not swim at all. The monster continued to thrash around in the water before sinking below the surface and presumably dying.

Spiros heard large amounts of scuffling and turned his attention to the walls. Dozens more Lurkers were pouring out from various holes.

There was no way they could take them all on.

"Merida, time to go. There's too many!" He shouted.

"Good idea, follow the tracks!" She replied, sheathing her sword.

The duo took off running deeper into the caves. They would occasionally encounter a pile of ash or a bunch of random embers floating in mid air. Then there was the occasional formation of emerald crystals or even diamonds.

They didn't care about any of that though, they just used the light of the lantern to keep Team Macintosh's tracks in view. Angry hissing and the sounds of many feet scurrying across the floor kept the adrenaline flowing.

Soon they were rushing down a narrow corridor...which was slowly get even narrower.

"The walls are closing in!" Merida shouted.

"Keep running!" Spiros told her.

"Thanks for the advice, Captain Obvious!" She grumbled.

Then something slammed into Spiros' back. He was quickly pulled to the floor and then dragged back towards the horde of insects.

"Help!" He shouted.

Merida drew her bow and spun around, firing a blind shot into the swarm. There was a hiss and seconds later Spiros had cut himself free and was racing to catch up to his partner. It was a tight fit through the corridor now, up ahead there was a large circular room that wasn't closing up. It must have been a safe room of sorts. The door however was closing fast. The duo's energy was practically spent. They were breathing heavily, their chests were on fire and their foreheads glistened with sweat. The light of the lantern was the only thing they could trust right now.

If they lost that precious source of light, they were doomed.

The two dove into the safe room as the door began to close, Merida fell in an odd way and cried out in pain as her ankle was twisted.

The door sealed with a distinctive _**THUD**_.

It was quiet again. Merida lay on her side, panting and gasping as if she couldn't get enough air in her chest. Spiros fell onto is back, wheezing.

"You wanted it to be harder." He grumbled.

"Sh-shut up." She replied, still panting.

The two lay in silence, with only the only source of light being Spiros' lantern. Even then, it was still very dark in that room and it was hard for either of them to let their guard down.

Finally, the Princess broke the tense silence.

"Spiros, about what happened earlier..."

"Merida, don't worry. It was in the heat of the moment, and I know you like Jon. I won't mistake what happened for more then what it actually was." He assured her.

"It's just that...I don't want you to feel like you were being led on." She told him.

"No, no, it's ok. I know you wouldn't do that." He replied.

"Ugh...but still...I just feel a little guilty about it." She murmured.

"Don't, it's perfectly fine." He told her.

"Tell you what, regardless if we win or lose, I think I owe you a dance." She told him, sitting up.

"Um...ok...do you think that would be...acceptable?" He asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" She replied.

"It's just that...you're a princess and all. I'm not any type of royalty or anything. Plus there's Jon...will he be ok with that?" He mumbled.

"Don't worry about that! Thanks to me, the whole royalty rule isn't as big as it used to be, and Jon better be ok with it. I may like him, but I answer to no one." She assured him.

"Haha ok, if you say so." He said with a sigh.

"We should get going, with any luck we can still win this." She told him.

"We will win this." He replied firmly.

The two stood up, although Merida winced as she did though.

"Great, I think I've sprained my ankle." She grumbled.

"It's alright, we'll just have to relax to pace a little." He told her.

"Guess so, grab that spear before we go. Something tells me we're close to the center of the catacombs." She Instructed.

Her partner spun around to see a spear impaled in the ground. He pulled it out and examined the weapon. The shaft was made of polished steel and the spear head was a strange shape. Instead of a stereotypical arrow type, it was serrated and curved at a slight downward angle. The spearhead was made of polished gold with a thick strip of silver running up the middle. The spear also had golden lightning bolts along the upper section of the shaft. In the middle was the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

The Omega.

Underneath this was an inscription that read:

Λόγχη του Καταιγίδες

Spiros had no time to admire the weapon, he strapped it to his back and then continued down the next corridor alongside his partner. They remained on alert until they arrived at a large stone door with a slot in the middle of it.

"The tracks make a u-turn here." Merida announced.

"That's odd, it's not exactly a dead end. See the slot, they probably went looking for a key." Spiros grumbled.

Then the Princess noticed something, there was a strange symbol on her partners spear. Underneath the slot on the door was the same symbol, only it was upside down.

She snatched the weapon from her friends back and drove the spear tip into the slot and rotated the spear so that the symbol was facing the ground. She then tried to push it up, but she wasn't strong enough. Spiros quickly saw what she was looking to accomplish and the two of them were able to push the spear upwards like it was a lever.

The two symbols glowed a bright blue before returning to normal. Spiros pulled the weapon from the slot and returned it to its place on his back. The door rumbled and then slowly opened.

The two teens stormed into the room. Merida rolled under the door as soon as it was open enough for her to do so. She finished her roll and transitioned to a crouch. She quickly drew her bow and notched two arrows. Her partner entered behind her, sword drawn and shield up.

The room was shaped like an octagon. Beams of light shot down from large cracks in the ceiling. Eliminating the need to keep the lantern lit. There were moss clusters scattered across the floor, along with several large pools of water, along with one big pool that was in the center of the room. These pools appeared to be incredibly deep as the water was almost black.

Planted in the ground were the clan banners.

All four were still there.

Then they heard something breathing. In the shadows, a creature began to emerge. It had for legs, faint traces of steam coming from its nostrils, and a thick mane of hair. The dreaded creature guarding the banners was none other than a...pony?

_**To be continued!**_

_**A.N- Don't you just love cliffhangers? Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to reading all your reviews as they begin to come in! Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next chapter!**_

_**P.S- To all my US readers, I hope you have a Happy Fourth of July! **_


	5. Shadow Seekers Pt 2

Chapter 5

Shadow Seekers

Part 2

It was a good looking pony.

The creature's entire body was as white as snow. Its eyes appeared to be spheres of gold with tiny glyphs inscribed in the area in which the pupil would normally be located. It had a saddle that appeared to be made out of long thin plants weaved together.

Merida was in awe, she had never seen such a beautiful animal. Spiros also found himself admiring the creature, but deep down...something did not seem right. He did his best to suppress this feeling of anxiety. However, it would not leave him.

"It's beautiful." Merida murmured.

"Mhmm." Spiros replied.

"I bet we have to tame it, and then we can use it to ride down to the starting area and win the competition." His partner said in a monotone.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." The Greco replied, also in monotone.

The Princess walked over and mounted the pony, stroking its wet mane once she was in a comfortable position. She then felt the creature's skin; it felt smooth like...skin...not hair.

Spiros was snapped out of his trance when Jon and Young Macintosh stormed into the room.

"How did you get the door open?" Jon demanded.

Then Merida screamed.

The trio turned their glance to the pony, whose eyes were now a blood red. Its saddle had come to life and was beginning to wrap itself around the Princess. The saddle was made of kelp.

"That's a Kelpie!" Macintosh shouted.

The horse whinnied and reared up before galloping towards one of the pools of water and jumping straight in.

"It's going to drown her!" Spiros said after cursing in Greek.

"That's your problem." Jon hissed.

The Greco felt something snap; he drew his spear, spun around and pointed it at Jon. The chain on his arm began hissing as ancient charms activated themselves. He felt a sharp pain as the chain began to tighten, then heat up and slowly burn his skin. He didn't care though.

A strong gale force wind shot from the spear tip and sent Jon flying into the wall of the room, he cried out in pain as he rolled around on the floor. Rubbing the back of his head.

Spiros then dove into the pool of water and swam into the darkness. He looked for any sign of the creature and then he saw it.

This thing was definitely a monster.

It legs now resembled that of a crab instead of a horse. Its jaw no longer opened normally, its mouth consisted of four pieces that opened outward and away from each other. When its mouth opened, it looked like a plus sign was in place of its face. It had a long tongue that was tipped with a stinger like object. It glowed with an amber color and therefore was probably poisonous. It's mane now replaced by the spikes of a puffer fish. They too had amber glow. Its skin was now black and covered with barnacles. It even had the gills of a shark along its neck. Finally, its rib cage was slightly split open and exposed. Trapped inside the cage of bones was Merida, slowly being wrapped up in kelp.

She was now fighting the creature, thrashing and kicking. This was probably what the creature wanted. The victim would be so concerned about getting away; it would fail to conserve its air supply.

Spiros knew he was at a tactical disadvantage. He was in the Kelpie's territory. He had to bring the fight to the land, and fast.

He looked at his spear again and squinted, trying to remember how to read his own native language. It was clear that the spear was very old; the inscription was of an older dialect:

Λόγχη του Καταιγίδες

...

Spear of Storms.

The Greco grinned and quickly swam to the surface. Knowing he would have to be quick to save his friend. He surfaced and gasped for air, clambering onto the ledge of the pool. He lifted his spear over his head and took a deep breath. More pain surged up his arm as sparks shot from the spear tip. Then he struck the charged weapon into the water and unleashed a small jolt of electricity.

Seconds later the monster emerged, screeching in pain. It fell over and began shaking as electricity began tearing it apart from the inside out. Merida was being shocked as well but grit her teeth and kicked open the horses ribs. Bones flew into the air and clattered as the hit the floor. She quickly stumbled out of the creature's chest and made her way to her partner.

"I...should of known better." She grumbled turning and drawing her bow.

"It's alright, I fell for it too. If Macintosh and Jon hadn't come along we would have both been sent to the castle." He assured her.

"Where are they now?" She asked.

"Look, their banner is gone. They must have split while we were underwater." He told her.

"Let's take this demon pony out then." She snarled.

The Kelpie got to its feet; it hissed and tried to impale Spiros in the chest with its stinger tipped tongue. Luckily, the Greco rolled out of the way. Merida fired an arrow into the creature's side, although it didn't appear to do much. The monster then scurried to the nearest wall and began climbing up it. It then continued its tongue attacks on Spiros, although they were easy to dodge.

Merida fired another arrow, this time into the beast's eye. Eight arrows left, she knew she would have to aim for the vitals and make every shot count. Then she yelped as a slimy tongue wrapped itself around yet injured ankle. She felt herself being hoisted into the air. She dropped her bow and drew her sword. With an angry yell she sliced the tongue in half. Yellow blood sprayed onto her face and chest as she was dropped on her head.

The demon pony was now in trouble. It had one eye and no offensive capability. It jumped down from the ceiling charged forward, Merida was still trying to get to her feet as the monster shoved her to the ground. It tried to stab her with its crab like legs. Then Spiros charged in a drove his sword into the creature's side. It hissed and turned on him, it charged but the Greco was ready. He jumped over the creature and landed on its back. He then drove his sword down into the monsters back. The beast quickly threw him off its back.

The Greco landed on his back and groaned as he started to get up. His partner fired another arrow; this one hit the creature in its other eye. Then the pony hissed again and then a column of steam engulfed the beast. What emerged was a white haired man with a trident in one hand and a whip in the other. He had nothing on but a crude kilt made of kelp, seashells and fish scales. The man had golden eyes with tiny red dots in the middle. The one thing that hadn't changed was the fact that his chest was still split open. His amber colored heart was exposed and looked like an easy target.

The man hissed at Spiros and pointed his trident at him. A jet of water shot from the weapon and slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a pool of water. Merida threw a rock at the demon's head. He turned around in anger and Merida fired another arrow right at his heart. The shape shifter grinned and deflected the arrow off of his trident. Spiros clambered out of a nearby pool of water and charged his foe. He took out his new spear and used it to hit the man with a blast of air. The demon flew through the air and crashed into the ceiling before landing on his face.

Spiros charged the fallen shape shifter, jumping up in the air and preparing to stab him through the back. However his target rolled out of the way and he ended up stabbing the floor. The Greco grunted and cursed as he tried to pull his blade from the ground. His foe then punched him in the face and sent him sliding across the room. Merida fired another arrow, this time into her target's thigh.

She took a risk and notched two arrows as her foe turned to face her. She took aim and fired. The first arrow he deflected, the second found its mark. The demon man cried out in pain and dropped to one knee. He pulled the arrow out of his still beating heart. He scowled at the Princess and in one last desperate attempt, threw his trident at her like a spear.

She notched two more arrows and rolled underneath the trident as it flew over her head and impaled itself in the ground behind her. She fired and each arrow found its mark. One struck her foe between the eyes and the other in his heart.

He hissed one last time before turning into a pile of salt and dried up kelp.

The Princess grinned and then turned to see her partner claiming the banner.

"We make a good team." He told her.

She smiled and then nodded.

"Yes, we do." She replied.

"We should go, think you can run?" He asked her.

"Of course." She replied.

The duo then sprinted down a corridor that was across the room. They were in pursuit of their rivals. Their hearts were pumping, and they were having lots of fun. The corridor turned into cave that emptied out on a muddy mountain side. Down below was the starting area where the silver podium awaited. Whichever team got up there first was the winner.

Macintosh and Jon were riding a slender cart with three wheels. They were racing down the mountainside. It would be difficult to catch-up.

"Ugh, those cheaters. There is _**no**_ way they have been carrying that all day. It must have been put here the night before." Merida grumbled.

"No time to think about that. Right now, we need to catch them." Spiros told her, pointing to two hunks of wood that looked like they might be useable.

"Let's do it." She said with a grin.

...

"_**YEAHHHHH!" **_The Princess shouted as she and her partner shot down the mountain side.

The gap between the two teams was rapidly closing; Spiros could now see the whites of Jon's eyes every time he nervously turned around to glance at them. The wind was whistling in their ears, the smell of the victory feast being prepared was filling their nostrils. The sun was at its highest point in the sky, and its rays beat down on our heroes.

Despite the ever increasing pain being put on his arm, Spiros remembered his training and began using his powers. He felt the heat of the sun beating down on him; he inhaled sharply knowing that air was an important ingredient. He then focused his anger on Jon, his pride in regards to his skill with a sword, the burning sense of justice that had been passed down to him from his father. He drew his sword and even though it felt as if the chain wrapped around his arm was about to snap it in two he leveled the blade at the rear left wheel of the cart.

A fireball shot from the tip of the blade.

It rocketed towards its target and made its mark, the wheel burst into flames and Jon began to panic. He tried to pat out the flames with his hands but it was extremely painful to do so. Merida and Spiros had now caught up to the contraption the duo was riding in. It was a neck and neck race to the bottom of the mountainside.

Macintosh drew one of his swords and slashed at the Princess. She drew her own sword and blocked the slash. Jon swung his hammer wildly at Spiros. The Greco managed to block each swipe, and even managed to slice off his bangs at one point. Then he noticed the tri-cart was drifting towards him. Both Macintosh and Jon were attacking him now. Jon was attacking him directly while Macintosh went for the banner.

"Merida, catch!" He shouted, throwing the banner to his partner.

She caught it and then put her weight towards the front of the board and bent her knees a little more. She slowly began speeding up. Jon and Macintosh were sitting inside their little contraption and leaned forward as well. The bottom of the mountainside was rapidly approaching. Spiros cursed as foes caught up to his partner. He did his best to speed up as well and eventually they were all neck and neck again.

Then Merida cried out in pain as she fell on her butt. Jon had swung his hammer and managed to hit her injured ankle. He swung very hard, but it was clear that he had done some damage. She was now struggling to stabilize her board and she noticed a lot of potholes ahead. She tossed the banner to her partner as she and her board went out of control. The Greco caught the banner as he brought his sword down on the forward section of the cart. The cart began tumbling end over end and sent its riders flying. Spiros grinned as he reached the bottom and slid to a shaky stop. He hopped off his board and ran to check on his partner.

She was a mess.

Her dress and cloak was torn in about a dozen places, she had a long cut underneath her left eye, and she was covered in blotches of mud from head to toe.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

She groaned and started using her arms to lift herself from the ground but quickly dropped to the floor.

"My ankle, it's messed up pretty bad." She whimpered, clearly holding back tears of pain.

He gathered her up in his arms, and carried her over to a nearby tree. He then propped her up against the trunk and placed her mud covered bow in her lap. With some difficulty, she slowly notched an arrow.

"I've got your back." She assured him.

Then they heard an angry yell.

Jon was getting up; somehow his banner (which had been strapped to the back of their cart) was still intact. He drove it in the ground and readied himself for battle. Spiros drove his banner into the earth as well. He drew his sword and readied his shield.

"Let's settle this." He snarled.

"Yes, let's!" His foe replied.

The duo stood in a standoff for a brief second before charging one another. Their weapons collided with a loud _**CLANG **_and a shower of sparks. The crowd cheered and soon sides were been taken, Spiros even could of sworn that there were bets being made. Jon shoved him back, and swung his hammer at our hero. The Greco dodged the attack by leaping backwards. His adversary attempted to bash him with his shield, but once again Spiros managed to dodge the attack.

The two were locked in battle. Spiros knew Jon was stronger than him and was built like a Minotaur. He could take a hit and keep on coming. No matter how severe the injury. Jon knew that Spiros was lighter, faster and far more versatile then him. His weapons were so heavy that by the time he mustered the momentum to attack, Spiros had already moved himself out of harm's way.

It was a stalemate.

The Greco drove his sword into his opponents shield. In response his foe shoved him to the ground. Then swung his hammer downward, Spiros rolled to left to avoid being crushed. Then he jumped to his feet and noticed that Jon had opened himself to an attack. He tried to stab his opponent, but he sidestepped the attack which barley grazed his skin.

Jon proceeded to head butt his foe in retaliation. Spiros was sent reeling by the attack and barley managed to raise his shield in time to block the thrust his opponent made with his hammer.

"Come on beanstalk; show me what you've got!" Jon snarled.

Spiros did as asked; he surged forward and sidestepped another shield bash from his foe. He then circled around his foe and slashed diagonally at his shoulder blade. The strike landed successfully and made it harder for Jon to hold up his shield.

The Greco taunted his foe as he swung his hammer at him, dodging a flurry of attacks that were sent at him. After a minute or so, Jon had tired himself out and had failed to even graze his opponent.

"Too slow!"

"Aargh!"

Jon went on the attack once more, clearly enraged. Merida watched the duel with a sense of dread and anger.

_"Figures, two of my friends are fighting. Partially over me and partially for bragging rights." _She thought.

She felt a little guilty about it actually; the two probably could have been good friends. Now they were probably arch rivals. Lately it seemed as if she was always the cause of trouble.

The tip of Spiros' blade cut open Jon's cheek. However the Greco failed to back off in time and got his sword knocked out of his hand by his opponent's weapon. Jon put himself between the sword and its owner. Spiros readied his spear and, despite the fact he didn't not have a rounded war shield, took a defensive posture. Shield raised to protect his torso and spear resting at the top of shield, readied to strike anything that came within range.

Jon closed the gap between himself and his opponent, who was circling him. He swung his hammer at his foe, leaving himself open to an attack. Another ripple of agonizing pain went up Spiros' arm as he charged his spear with electricity and drove into his foe's shield. The resulting shock caused him to drop his weapons to the floor as electricity ripped him apart from the inside out. Spiros took this chance to regain his sword. Once he did, he turned to see Young Macintosh emerging the wreckage of the tri-cart. He still seemed dazed, and it was clear he would not be able to join the fight anytime soon.

Jon managed to regain his bearings and reached for his shield, but when he touched it a quick jolt of electricity surged up his arm. He cursed, the shield smelt burnt too and there was no doubt that its structural integrity had been compromised. Then he looked up to see Spiros closing in, his opponent landed several slices with his sword in quick succession. He yelled in anger and swatted his foe aside with his hammer. The Greco was sent rolling into the tree that Merida was propped up against.

"We need to finish this, now." She told her partner.

"I'm working on it." He replied.

"Taking Jon down isn't the answer." She grumbled.

"Sure it is." He assured her.

"No, we need to take out their banner." She scoffed.

"How are going to do that, I turn my back on him and he'll crush me." He protested.

She simply notched her last arrow.

"Wait for my signal; I think you'll know what to do." She instructed.

"Alright, whatever you say Princess." He grumbled before rising to challenge his foe.

He raised his shield and grunted as Jon's hammer struck with alarming force. Sparks flew off the face of the item. Spiros gave his foe an elbow to the face as he brought his hammer back around for another attack. He managed to dodge that one altogether though. The Greco went on the offensive; he kneed his adversary in the gut and sent him reeling. He then brought his sword down on his hammer and cut the weapon in two.

He practically laughed as he did so; it had been too easy to cut through.

"Who forges your weapons, the same dope who comes up with your pick up lines?" He taunted.

"You're asking for it!" Jon bellowed, raising his fists.

He then threw several punches at Spiros, who dodged all but one. It was a solid right hook that sent him staggering backwards. The Greco spat out some blood and retaliated with another swing of his sword that left a cut down the length of his opponent's leg.

"Take it easy lads; I don't want anyone getting seriously hurt!" Elinor called out.

Jon closed in, throwing another flurry of punches. He had left his banner unguarded as well as in Merida's line of fire. Spiros made eye contact with his partner, she nodded and shouted:

"NOW!"

Spiros turned ran up the nearest tree, Jon laughed and pursued his foe ready to climb up after him. The Greco stopped running halfway up the tree and pushed himself off the trunk. He spun around and saw the Princess firing her arrow. Leading his target, he swung his sword and allowed a crescent of fire to shoot out from the edge of the blade. He winced as he felt the bone in his arm crack.

The crescent of fire he had unleashed crossed the path of Merida's arrow. The entire arrow burst into flames and sailed into the tapestry of the Macintosh clan banner. Slowly but surely the banner began to burn.

Jon watched this in horror, realizing that he had lost. He then looked up to see Spiros bearing down on him from above, shield arm angled back and ready to throw a knockout punch. The Scott had no chance to escape. He sealed his eyes as the cold steel slammed into his face, breaking his jaw and knocking out several teeth. He dropped like a rock, falling onto his face and slipping into unconsciousness.

The Greco landed on his back in a feral crouch. He then back flipped off of his dispatched foe, he performed his usual flourish. Swinging his sword in an X shape before spinning it around and sheathing it.

Merida limped over with banner in hand and sighed.

"Did you have to do that?" She asked.

"Sorry, it was a heat of the moment thing." He told her.

This answer didn't seem to satisfy her, she looked a little agitated.

"Looks like I'll have to wait for the dance." He muttered.

She blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"It's alright." She told him.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Positive." She replied.

The duo then walked onto the silver podium and the crowd cheered.

"We have our winners!" Fergus bellowed. The Elders slammed their staffs into the ground in unison. The verdict was final.

Merida couldn't help but smile; she felt a great sense of accomplishment overcome her. She looked at her partner and put an arm around his shoulders. She then put a little weight on him, but he flinched. She realized he might of injured his arm. The two were then escorted away from the crazed crowd by a group of guards.

The rest of the day went well for our heroes. Merida took first place in archery (to no one's surprise), third in sword fighting, and (with Angus' help) first in the timed horse race. Spiros dominated in sword fighting, taking first place ease. He also took third in the knife throw and did surprisingly well in dog herding, taking second place. The duo did even better when paired together. Taking first place in canoeing, the obstacle course and combat scenarios in which they were pitted against their fellow competitors as well as monstrosities like another Kelpie, a pack of Lurkers, and even a Ciudach. Although they didn't do very well in rugby, golf, the caber toss, weight over the bar, and the tug of war. Regardless of their losses in some events, they were the stars of the day.

It was late afternoon when everything wrapped up. The two were allowed to head back to the castle and clean themselves up for the Victory Feast, which would be starting in an hour or so.

Spiros returned to Visilis who had a bucket of water waiting for him.

The Greco stepped into a vacant stable and gave himself the best shower he could. While cleaning himself up, he examined his cursed arm. The chain had definitely tightened. His arm was now bright red and needless to say it was in quite a bit of pain. The glyphs burned brighter than before, lighting up the dimly lit stall. The chain was also steaming with heat. If he wanted to keep his arm attached to his body, he would have to make sure he didn't use his powers for a month or two. That way the chain's grip would loosen up just a little.

For now though, he would have to deal with the pain as he always has. He finished washing himself up and got dressed into a spare set of clothes he carried around. A white loose fitting shirt, along with some olive colored trousers. He then slipped on his brown boots that he had gotten this morning. He then proceeded to wash the clothes he had been wearing earlier. He finished by cleaning his sword, polishing his shield and storing the rest of his equipment. He then strapped his sword to his back, followed by his shield and went into the castle in search of Merida.

He was greeted by Queen Elinor instead who was walking down the stairs.

"Afternoon, your majesty." The Greco said with a bow upon seeing her.

"Afternoon." She replied with a smile and a nod.

She then finished her descent down the stairs and walked up to him.

"Judging by your battle cry this morning, I see that my daughter trusts you very much." She murmured.

"It would seem so Ma'am, I hope I didn't offend you at all, I meant no disrespect." He stammered.

"Easy lad, your intentions were as pure as your heart. It was a noble gesture, and I applaud you for it." She assured him.

"That's good to hear." He replied.

"Now...are you going to the feast dressed like that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid so, I know they're nothing but a pile of rags but they're all I have." He mumbled.

"I believe Fergus may have something you can borrow." She told him.

After following the Queen upstairs and into her chambers, he saw Fergus napping on the bed with his two dogs sleeping on either side of him and the triplets stacked atop his belly.

"Fergus, wake up dear." The Queen whispered, gently shaking her husband.

It was moments like these that brought hope back into Spiros' heart, but it also brought about great sadness. He saw this family, so full of life and love that he felt a hole in his heart. He had grown up with little interaction with other people, sure Visilis had taught him how to survive on his own, but even then the young man never knew what it was like to truly be part of a family. Over the course of his life he had been cheated, lied to, stabbed in the back, and rejected.

He had no future to speak of; he would always be an outcast, a runaway, a ghost. He would die in battle if he was lucky, it would be quick and it would leave him little time to have any regrets. Sadly, he believed he would die alone of old age...a broken man. No one would mourn him, after all few mourn the death of someone who is already dead on the inside.

Spiros had lost faith in Love. Love was an illusion, it wasn't majestic or special. It wasn't a 'connection' between two souls looking for a companion. It was a mixture of physical attraction and the illusion of eternal companionship. In reality, it didn't exist. It was lie. He hated lies. Especially ones that he fell for.

This is why he stopped believing in Love, it was a false hope that he had spent too much time investing in. He had one thing to focus on; it was where to run to next. Love would only weigh him down; it caused hesitation and rash decisions. Both of which can be deadly.

Yet...it was moments like these when his heart of stone would allow something to slip in.

Hope.

As much as he wanted to deny it and become a cold heartless shell, it was moments like this where he would know that Love did exist. It seemed impossible, but he knew that there was someone out there that was as lonely as he was; they had probably lost faith in Love as well. Deep down part of him wanted that person to be Merida. It was a crazy thing to think, especially because he was just getting to know her. There was something special about her, he just knew it.

While he was mulling this over, Elinor had managed to wake up the King who carefully removed the triplets from his stomach and then walked over to the Greco.

"I understand your in need of some clothes." He said with a grin.

"Yes sir." Our hero replied.

The King nodded and opened a large closet. He began rustling through the clothes at the far end, muttering to himself the whole time.

...

"Maudie, be honest please." Merida groaned as she prepared to step out from behind the dressing screen.

"Don't worry Princess, I'm sure you fretting over nothing. You should just be glad your mother let you dress yourself for a change." the chubby maid replied.

The young lady laughed before replying.

"Good point."

"Thank you, Princess." The maid replied.

"Maudie, you've been a friend of mine ever since I was seven. There's no need to be so formal." Merida chided.

"I apologize Princess." She replied.

The youth poked her head out from behind the dressing screen.

"Maudie, please. Just call me by my name." She pleaded.

"I'll work on that Princess." the Maid replied.

Then our heroine stepped out from behind the dressing screen.

She was wearing a dress with a short white skirt that went down to the middle of her thigh, from the waist up her dress was black as night. Her red hair had been washed and shimmered brighter than any flame.

"Do you think mother will approve?" She asked the maid after a moment of silence.

"If I may Princess...when did that matter to you?" The maid replied.

The two couldn't help but laugh.

...

"Now you look sharp, lad." Fergus said with a grin.

Spiros did feel a little better about going out to the feast now.

He was dressed in a better fitting green shirt which had the DunBroch clam emblems on both shoulders, dark grey trousers that were a little big on him, but this would be tolerable as it was hard to notice. Finally he had a pair of the King's "lucky dancing shoes". They were black, seemed well broken in, and fit him almost perfectly.

"I'll go get Merida." Elinor said, clearly a little excited.

"We'll meet you down in the hall." Fergus told her.

The Queen left the room; it was just him and Spiros. The Greco stood silently and stiffly, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Tell me lad, what do you think of my daughter?" He asked.

"Well sir, she is definitely one of a kind." The Greco replied sheepishly.

"Aye, and that's why I'm a bit nervous about just marrying her off to one of the Lord's sons." He grumbled.

"May I ask why, sir?" Our hero murmured.

"Well from a diplomatic perspective, it would actually be a wonderful thing. For one of the clans, the other two clans might become...jealous, if you will. That however is not my biggest concern, I just hope that whoever she ends up with, she'll be taken care of." The King explained.

"I understand, I hope that she finds happiness as well." The Greco replied.

"You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this." The Scott said with a bit of a friendly grin.

"Yes sir." Spiros replied.

"Well, I'll quit beating around the bush then. You seem like a good kid, there's something a wee bit different about you. If my daughter were to marry anyone in her lifetime, I would want that man to be a lot like you." The King explained.

"I appreciate that sir, but...with all due respect, your daughter deserves better than a fisherman's son." The Greco replied somberly.

Fergus was taken off guard by this, before he could think of a response Merida walked into the room.

"Come on guys, we're going to be late!" She grumbled.

"We're coming dear." Fergus told his daughter, as he watched Spiros' shoulders sag as if he was reading his own epitaph.

...

They arrived at the feast a little behind schedule. Everyone was staring at their plates (which were full of food) it was clear they were all very hungry. However, out of common courtesy they did not eat until everyone was seated.

Once they were all seated, Fergus raised his arms into the air as if he was about to give someone a bear hug.

"Dig in everybody!" He proclaimed.

The people gladly did so, they began devouring the food on their plates, chugging down the beverages that were in their mugs, and conversations quickly became the primary source of noise, with dozens of people trying to talk over each other. Then some even started singing songs in, what Spiros assumed to be, their native language.

The Greco soon got caught up in multiple conversations as the 2nd and 3rd course was served.

"Who trained you in swordplay!" Lord Dingwall shouted from the far end of the table.

"My father and his father." He replied.

"Are you any good at archery?" Merida asked from his left.

"No, I'm afraid that's a weakness of mine." He told her.

"I could always give you a few pointers; you never know when you might need to use a bow." The Princess told him.

"That would be nice, but I'll be leaving soon..." He told her looking crestfallen.

"Well maybe if you come back and visit one day, I can show you then." She suggested.

"Yeah...maybe." He murmured.

"Where will you go now lad?" Elder Macintosh asked.

"Wherever the winds take me sir." The Greco replied.

"Sounds dangerous, what if you crash land in a place that isn't so friendly?" Queen Elinor asked with a small laugh.

"It is dangerous; you never know what will be around the next cloud. However, it's amazing up there. That wide open sky, the cool wind washing over you. It's the closest you can get to being truly free." He explained.

"Sounds a little lonely if you ask me." Maudie murmured, pulling the desert tray out of the triplets reach as the wee devils tried to grab a few sweet cakes.

"We'll I guess it kind of is, but I have Visilis so it's not too bad." He replied.

"Do you ever plan to find a place to call home?" Lord MacGuffin asked.

"Well yeah, but I haven't found that place yet. Besides I've got a few things to take care of first." The Greco told him.

"Well I hope that you find a good home lad, after all that you've been through...you've earned it." MacGuffin said with a friendly nod.

"Thank you sir." He replied.

Then music began playing from the far side of the tent and people began getting up and making their way to a large wooden platform that was lifted a few inches off the ground. Spiros assumed it was the dance floor.

"Alright birthday boy, let's go." The Princess told him.

"Umm...where are we going now?" He asked.

"I owe you a dance, remember?" She reminded him.

His eyes got big

"Oh yeah...about that-"

She didn't listen though; she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him over to the dance floor as he protested:

"I can't dance!"

"I'll teach you!" She assured him.

"Trust me; I'll make you look stupid. Go dance with Jon!" He suggested.

Her only response was:

"We'll look stupid together then."

The two began dancing to the fast tempo of the music. Spiros was all over the place at first, but Merida remained patient with him and corrected him on his foot work and other things. Spiros felt uncomfortable at first, but as the song continued he felt as if he was having fun. He listened to his partner's advice and his foot work improved.

"You're a fast learner!" The Princess told him as he got the hang of things.

"What can I say, I have a great teacher." The Greco replied.

Merida blushed at that.

The duo continued dancing, Spiros finally felt himself get into a rhythm. Pretty soon the two were laughing a little, it turned out they were both kind of crummy at dancing but that didn't seem relevant at the moment. They were both having fun.

The duo felt as if things couldn't be more perfect, after a hard day of adventuring they were able to shrug off their worries and dance the night away. Neither of them wanted the song to end, but when it did only one person was applauding.

He hadn't been invited to the party however.

"Bravo, bravo." The cloaked man said. He had a bone staff in one hand, a black cloak and cape was his only attire. Even his face was hidden in shadow.

The King and Queen exchanged worried glances before standing to confront the uninvited guest.

"What do you want?" Elinor hissed.

"Retribution." The man replied.

"For what, you failed to hold up your end of the deal. We stopped following you. Simple as that." Elder DunBroch snarled.

"I did not fail, you think just because you make a deal with me all the evil in this land will just vanish?" He asked.

"You were supposed to protect us, yet your _protection_ only brought about the untimely deaths of many!" Fergus shouted.

The cloaked man strolled over to Merida; he began circling her like how a crow circles a dead animal.

"My my, you have grown up Princess." He said taking a handful of her hair into his hand and smelling it. His hands were pale and bony, like those of a dead man.

"It is a shame I already have a Queen." He said slyly after stopping in front of her.

The Princess backed away from this creepy stranger, something about him was not right. He then turned to face the King, he slammed his bone staff into the ground and a black obsidian blade slowly grew out of the top of the staff. The man was now armed with a scythe.

"King Fergus, times are changing. This kingdom is frail and weak. It must now be destroyed so that a new more powerful race can rise from the ashes. You abandoned the old ways, now you shall all suffer for it." The man hissed.

Fergus and his fellow lords drew their sword, anticipating a fight.

"You fools; you draw your blades against a force you cannot comprehend. You will pay for your insolence!" The man roared.

Lord Macintosh charged in, but the man swung his scythe at him. An unseen force sent him flying through the air and into a tent post, knocking him unconscious.

Lord MacGuffin drove his sword into the man's gut, but he merely laughed.

"Fool, you cannot kill _**DEATH **_himself!"

He grabbed the Lord by the throat threw him up into the air and hit him back down with the blade of his scythe. The Scott was slammed into the ground, a bloody wound in the center of his chest.

Lord Dingwall and Fergus went on the attack immediately after this. Fergus swung his sword at the cloaked man, but he simply deflected the attack. Dingwall punched the man in the gut, but in response the man head butted him. The Lord was sent stumbling backwards as Fergus tried to decapitate his foe. The sword shattered on contact and the shrapnel flew off in every direction. Most of it hit the King.

"Dad!" Merida shouted.

"Balor, enough of this!" Elinor shouted.

The man turned to face the Queen, he cackled before responding.

"I answer to no one." He said.

Then he saw one of the triplets cowering under the table, he reached down and grabbed the child lifting him up in the air by his leg.

"Perhaps another death in the family will make you think twice about defying me." He sneered.

Elinor dropped to her knees.

"Please don't, he's just a little one. Even smaller than the one that was taken from us already." She begged, tears in her eyes.

"I know." The man replied flatly,

Spiros drew his sword and shield; he shouted and slammed his shield arm into the ground. A shockwave was sent through the ground that knocked everyone off their feet. Including the man. When the dust settled, Spiros sleeve had been incinerated, leaving his cursed arm exposed for all to see. He went into a fighting stance as the man got up.

"Well, what do we have here? A vanguard. It's been awhile since I've killed one of you." He hissed.

"Sadly, you won't have my life tonight." Spiros replied.

"We shall see, mortal." The man replied swinging his scythe at the Greco.

Several tiny daggers made of black smoke and flames shot from the blade. Spiros deflected three and cut the rest right out of the air with his sword. The distance between the two combatants shrunk until they were within striking distance. Balor swung his scythe at our hero's feet, but The Greco jumped up and stabbed at his foe's chest. The sword simply bounced off the man's cloak as if it was a shield.

The man unleashed a flurry of attacks against Spiros, who was just barely able to dodge all of them. Then he caught the young warrior off guard with an uppercut that sent him flying across the dance floor. The man jumped over to where the Greco had landed. He raised his scythe and swung downwards at our hero's head. Luckily Spiros rolled out of the way as the blade imbedded itself into the dance floor.

Merida decided she needed to help her friend so she charged Balor and did her best to tackle him. The man was hardly phased by the attack; he simply grabbed the princess by her hair and threw her into the floor. He then realized the triplets had snagged his scythe and were running off with it, albeit with a lot of difficulty as the weapon was fairly heavy for it being made mostly of bone.

Spiros sprung back into action, charging the man as he took off after the triplets.

"Infernal brats!" the man snarled.

More warriors got up from the table and began attacking him, but he dispatched them all with relative ease. Spiros and Young Macintosh charged into battle together. As the duo closed in on Balor from behind the man must of sensed their presence because he spun around and tried to decapitate them both. Spiros slid under the attack and kicked Balor in the back of the knee, while Macintosh did the same.

The attacks did little against Balor, as he spun around and put boot on Macintosh's throat. The Scott struggled to breathe but eventually fell into unconsciousness. He then turned to Spiros and put a boot on his chest.

A black blade shrouded in mist shot from the man's palm. He then lunged in and tried to stab our hero in the throat with the blade. Spiros refused to go quietly, he grabbed Balor's wrist and did his best to keep the blade away from his neck.

"Your tenacity impresses me boy!" The villain snarled.

The Greco gave his foe a solid right hook to the side of the head, the attack stunned the man for a second or two but that was because he was laughing. He then revitalized his efforts to kill our hero. Spiros was forced to put two hands on Balor's wrist in order to keep the blade away from his throat, but even then it appeared as though the man was going to kill him. Then as he felt the tip of the blade poke his throat an ally appeared.

Helga kicked the man in the side and sent him staggering away from Spiros. Our hero got to his feet as Balor became surrounded by spear wielding Scotts.

"Isn't this precious, all the clans working together." He said with a chuckle.

"Give it up devil." a guard demanded.

"Ah Gordon, I remember you. I took your wife from you a few years ago. It was quite a shame; I hope the son she died giving birth to isn't a disappointment." Balor sneered.

He then looked at Spiros.

"I've waited eons for this Vanguard, even someone like you cannot stop me." He told him.

Then he extended his arm outward and his scythe was ripped from the triplet's hands. The weapon flew through the air and back into his hands. He then raised it above his head and swung the blade down and into the earth. A black wave of fire knocked everyone onto their butts. When the smoke cleared, Balor was gone.

A few minutes of silence went by as everyone recovered from the shock of what happened. Then another guest arrived in the tent, it was an old lady with an olive colored cloak, white hair and a crow on her head.

It was the women who spoke first:

"I know now is not the time for,_ I told you so_, but..."

"It's you..." Merida murmured.

"Hello!" The crow squawked.

Spiros couldn't believe his ears.

"Not you too." Elinor muttered, while helping her injured husband up.

"Is that anyway to greet your mother?" The women asked.

"Wait, she is _your_ mum?" Merida asked.

"I'm so lost right now." Spiros grumbled.

"There, there is the vanguard!" The crow shouted, turning to him.

The old women turned to face our hero.

"It can't be you blasted bird, he's nothing more than a twig." She grumbled.

"It is him; the Wisps told me his name." The crow protested.

"What is your name, boy?" the women asked.

"Spiros." The Greco replied.

"We're doomed." The women murmured.

"Nonsense, he's got a long journey ahead but he is the one!" The bird insisted.

"Alright, if you say so. However If we all die, I'm never talking to you again." The women said with a sigh.

"Come with us Vanguard, someone wishes to speak with you." The bird instructed.

"Who?" Spiros asked.

"Why the same person that spoke to you after you defeated the Lindworm. Mor'du." The women replied flatly.

_**A.N- Well to be honest I'm a bit nervous about this chapter. I did my best to make everything as could as it could be but I still feel that it could be better. Anyways, I look forward to reading your reviews and to keep the plot of this thing going! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **_

_**Until next time, see yah!**_

_**-Blu Wolf 23**_


	6. Rise

Chapter 6

Rise

Elinor, the Witch, Spiros and Merida hiked through the forest. It was a windy night, and the feeling of terror that befallen everyone just an hour ago still had an iron grip on their hearts.

"So a bear that your mom killed, when _she_ was a bear, wants to talk to _**me**_?" Spiros asked, doing his best to get his mind back in order.

"That's correct." Merida replied.

"What do you think it wants?" He murmured.

"I'm not sure to be honest, but if my...grandmother is saying he wants to meet us at the Ruins of Old, then it must be very important." She told him.

"Sounds like I'll be sticking around a little while longer." He grumbled.

"Fine by me." She told him with a grin.

"Quit your flirting, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and Cupid has got you both distracted!" The Witch snapped.

Elinor chuckled, to which the old hag's crow landed in her head and delivered a hard peck to the forehead.

"Blasted bird!" The Queen scoffed, shooing the bird away.

"He has a point dear, they're making googley eyes at each other back there and your treating this all like a joke!" The Witch chided.

"Well it would be a little easier to take this seriously if you would tell us exactly what that bear wants with Spiros." Merida grumbled.

"Has she always been that sassy?" The Witch asked The Queen.

"Not always." Elinor replied.

There was an angry roar in the distance.

"We need to move faster." The Witch grumbled.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

...

When they arrived at the ruins, there was no one there waiting for them.

"Um you ladies go on ahead and look for this Mor'du guy, I'll catch up in a few minutes."

"Whatever your doing, make it quick." The Witch grumbled.

The trio left him in the ruins of a castle courtyard.

The Greco drew his sword and drove it into the ground sat down cross legged in front of the weapon. He closed his eyes and reached out into the vastness of the universe.

"I need your wisdom and guidance. Hero of old." He said in a trance like state before opening his eyes.

There standing before him was a man with curly black hair. He was dressed in leather armor, a bronze sword hung at his side.

"Perseus." Spiros said with awe.

"Vanguard Spiros. I believe we have not met before. I apologize though. Your grandfather is unable to speak with you at the moment. Therefore I was sent to you instead." The hero explained.

"It is a great honor." The Greco told the deceased hero with a nod.

"What troubles you, young Vanguard?" The old hero asked sitting down cross legged in front of Spiros.

"I sense a great darkness in this place. In this land. Despite its light hearted people. I do not know why I am here. I am lost." The young warrior explained.

"I sense this darkness as well. It is very strange, it feels almost...primal. Be very cautious Spiros. All is not as it seems." The elder hero instructed before continuing.

"As for your other question, let it be known that you are not the only Vanguard in The Order who questions why they are present at a time of crisis."

"It's not just that...I mean why am I _here_. Who am I...what's my purpose. Where do I belong?" The young Vanguard explained.

"My young friend, I'm afraid I cannot help you there. Every Vanguard needs to find their place in this world. Unlocking your Path is the final step to becoming a true guardian of this world. Mediate on the thousands of Paths that you can follow. Only then will you understand why you were put on this Earth." The Elder warrior told him.

"I really wish you could just tell me what will come to pass in my life." Our hero grumbled.

"Where is the fun in that?" The deceased hero snickered.

Spiros just sighed, seeming more unsure of himself then before.

"Do not doubt your own self worth boy. When the time comes, that chain will no longer hold you back. As I depart, I offer you this wisdom: You have reached a time in your

Iife where you need to ask _**yourself **_ who you are, and what drives you. Find yourself through the trials and triumphs that you undergo and the answer will become clear."

Perseus then disappeared into thin air. Our hero got up, pulled his sword out of the ground and set off to find the others.

...

Spiros found them in a dark dingy troop with a gaping hole in the ceiling. Merida stared at the hole before turning to her friend.

"Last time I was here, things didn't go very well." She explained.

"Bad memories rest in this place." Elinor murmured.

"Shush, all of you." The Witch hissed.

The three of them did as instructed. The old hat then slammed her cane into the stone floor and began chanting in an ancient language. The floor began glowing blue. Then a wisp rose up and began encircling the broken throne. Then the wisp shot into the ground in front of the throne.

A man rose up from the floor, he looked like a walking castle. His tattooed biceps were probably the size of Spiros' head. His beard was thick and appeared to be covered in dust and cobwebs. He wore a bearskin cape, a dusty old kilt and had two axes strapped to his back. His thick hair was long and went down to the middle of his back. His eyes, as well as most of his body, had a ghostly blue glow to it.

"Mor'du." Merida whispered.

The Bear Prince let out an animalistic yell.

"Kneel!" He demanded.

Merida, Spiros and Elinor kneeled as instructed. The Witch, however, remained standing. She smacked the Prince over the head with her cane.

"Knock it off, we need your help."

With some difficulty, he replied:

"With...what?"

"An old friend of yours is back." She explained.

"Who?" He grumbled.

"Balor." She said smugly.

That's when he lost it.

He reverted to bear form and roared at the sky. Then he punched the ground and the castle walls began to reassemble around them. Night and day began going by in seconds as the castle rebuilt itself. Skeletons began reassembling in the room, along with their muscle and flesh. Soon people were walking (backwards) as they went about their daily routines in the fully reconstructed castle.

Slowly but surely things began returning to normal. Merida reached out to touch one of the resurrected guards but The Witch gently swatted her hand away.

"This is nothing but a memory. Mor'du is showing us...well more specifically you two, something important. Disturbing anything will cause this all to disappear, and he may not be able to do this again." She explained.

The Bear Prince reverted to human form and took his place amongst the many people who now roamed the halls. He walked alongside an old man with a long beard that matched his equally long hair. He wore a golden crown atop his head, and a broadsword hung from his side. He was dressed in robes that were as white as snow and appeared to made of bear fur.

Although, none of them had seen a white bear, not even The Witch.

They were escorting a cloaked figure, whom the guards seemed to be antsy about.

"Father, who is this person?" Mor'du asked.

"We found her in the glade, perched in a tree." The Old King explained.

"A spy?" The Bear Prince asked.

"Potentially." The King replied.

"Guards, halt." Mor'du ordered.

The guards stopped their march and the prisoner, who was being escorted at spear point from all sides, was forced to halt also.

"Explain yourself, she-devil." Mor'du demanded, removing the prisoner's hood.

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Her long brown hair had been tied into a braid that ran down her back. She wore dark green robes with an armored chest plate. A bow and quiver were strapped to her back and her hazel eyes had a mischievous look in them.

...

"Wow." Spiros muttered.

"Haha I was quite the looker, wasn't I?" The Witch said with a cackle.

Merida punched her friend in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" He grumbled.

She didn't reply.

"It's not like I knew!" He protested.

"Children, please." Elinor chided, holding back a chuckle.

...

"I was keeping a look out, Noble Prince, these are dark times." The younger Witch explained.

"Indeed. What exactly we're you watching for?" The Bear Prince asked.

"Good day, Malcolm." a voice called out from behind them.

The King turned around to see two figures at the far end of the corridor.

The one on the left was Balor, except instead of his trusty scythe, he had a sword that had a hilt made of charred bones. The cloaked man on Balor's right had the scythe that Balor had used against Spiros, except this scythe looked newer and was actually a long staff with a scythe blade on both ends. The man had a wooden mask over his face.

The King drew his sword.

"What do you want?" He snarled.

"Isn't it obvious old fool? We came for your sword. The last thing my master wants is a repeat of the first great war." Balor explained.

"Guards, cease them!" Mor'du barked.

A group of guards surrounded the duo.

In the blink of an eye, the masked man cut them down with his double scythe staff.

"Malcolm, that's no way to greet a guest." Balor hissed.

The two began walking towards The King and his son.

"Take the women to the dungeon and then rally my brothers." Mor'du instructed to the remains guards.

They rushed off as ordered,

The Bear Prince then drew his axes while his father readied his sword. They charged their unwelcome guests.

King Malcolm locked blades with masked man while Mor'du let out a mighty yell and began combating Balor.

Malcolm slashed diagonally at the masked man who kicked him in the gut. The Old King groaned as one of his ribs cracked, yet he managed to regain his composure and went on the attack once again. He managed to kick out his opponent's knee and proceeded to stab his opponent in the shoulder. The masked man just laughed and gave the King a head-butt that knocked him back, forcing him to let go of his sword. The masked man pulled the King's sword out of his shoulder and drove it into the ground.

"You're going to have to better then that old fool." He snarled.

Mor'du slide tackle to bring Balor down. He then proceeds to bring one of his axes down on Balor's arm, one part of the blade sliced into his arm and the other into the floor. Balor was pinned and helpless to resist as Mor'du began stomping on his face with his boot.

"Master!" Balor wailed.

The masked man spun around and swung his scythe at Mor'du, which forced the Bear Prince to back away. He then yanked the axe up from the floor and threw it at its owner. Mor'du dodged the axe, which impaled itself deep in the wall.

Balor got on his feet as picked up his sword.

He spun around just in time to block the attack from King Malcolm which would beheaded him had it have been successful. Meanwhile, Mor'du had regained his axe was leaped back into the battle. Catching the masked man off guard, he managed to land a strike that severely damaged his mask.

He simply laughed as the combat came to a pause. He removed the mask and looked up at Mor'du. His face was bare of any flesh, there was nothing but a skull.

Spiros saw this and lost it.

He drew his sword with a yell and charged into the battle bring his sword down in the skeleton man's head.

The whole earth shook as the memory was disrupted. The castle fell apart. The King, the bodies of the fallen guard and even the skeleton man turned into ash. Mor'du turned back into a ghost bear.

Mor'du roared at him angrily.

The Witch got in front of our hero and began cursing at him.

"What have you done, now we'll never how to stop Balor. The King's sword is the only thing that can kill him in his current state. That memory was the key to finding it!" She screeched.

"I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me." Spiros murmured.

"Why did you snap like that, lad?" Elinor asked.

Spiros began to tear up.

"...Are you ok?" Merida asked.

"I'm sorry...I need to go." He told them, unable to hold back the tears. He ran out of the throne room. Leaving the others mystified.

"Go to him, mend his spirits." Mor'du instructed.

The Princess nodded and rushed off after her friend.

"Neither of them can do this alone." The Witch murmured.

"Aye, what of the others?" Elinor asked.

"I've contacted Luna. Her team is on the way." The Crow told them.

"What about Stoick?" Elinor asked.

"He has yet to break the news to his son. However they are preparing for war." The Witch replied.

"Any word from Maximus?" Mor'du asked.

"Yes. They're bracing for the worst. If the Horned King's return is imminent, his first strike will be there." The Witch told them.

"Assemble the Clan Leaders. It's time they learn about the threat we face." Mor'du said to The Queen.

She nodded and set off for her home.

"What do you think our odds are?" The Witch asked.

"Hard to say exactly, however I think we have a fighting chance." The Bear Prince replied.

"Who knows, perhaps this time around he'll _**stay**_ dead." The Witch murmured.

...

Spiros ran out into woods as fast as he could.

However the horrible memories were flowing, and nothing could stop them

...

The reptilian women slashed at Spiros' grandfather. Cutting him across the chest and sending him rolling backwards down the cliff and into the sea.

...

He gasped trying to push the thought away, but it overcame him again like waves pounding against rocks. He was helpless against the nightmarish vision. He couldn't avoid it and he couldn't do anything to stop it. All he could do was suck it up and wait it out.

...

The skull faced man decapitated another villager.

"Where are you little hero?!" He bellowed.

"Help!" A girl shouted.

...

Spiros snapped back into reality. The memories were so mentally traumatizing he was having a problem distinguishing reality

"Stop him, he's going to get killed!" The Witch shouted.

"Spiros, stop!" Merida begged.

...

"Help me, please!" the girl called out.

Spiros turned to see his love, Maryin, being pinned by the skull faced man's boot.

"Yes, help her little vanguard." The man hissed.

He then drew his bone hilted sword and drove it down into the girl's chest.

"_**NO!**_" Spiros shouted.

...

It was clear he was hallucinating, Merida knew it was being caused by something that was now , probably , hunting them both.

The forest was shifting around her, literally.

The trees and the very ground beneath her was shifting like they were puzzle pieces being moved around by an unseen force.

She saw something leaping around in the tree branches above. It landed in front Spiros who was still stumbling about in his hallucinations.

The figure was abnormally tall and had long limbs that almost resembled tree branches. A number of thick vine like appendages sprouted from its back. He was dressed in the robes of a noble and was bald. He was staring at the hallucinating Greco in a creepy fashion.

Merida sprung into action, readying her bow and notching a single arrow. She hopped over a log and slid under a low hanging branch. She then hopped up and launched herself off the side of a tree trunk. While airborne she fired at the mysterious figure that was closing in on her friend.

The figure used one of its tentacles to swat the arrow out of the air as it turned to face her. It had no face. No eyes, no mouth. Just the basic human face without any features. A stitches ran up the person's face and that was all there was to see.

Merida recognized the glyph on the chest of the figures shirt.

"The Librarian." She murmured.

The figure lashed out at her with its tentacles as she landed from her little jump. The Princess dodges the attack with a forward roll, as she came out of the roll she fired an arrow into her foe's chest.

The creature the began making its way to her, invading her mind telepathically. Our heroine suddenly began hearing a high pitched squealing sound that was agonizingly painful to hear.

...

Spiros was standing on the line between reality and hallucination. He was now watching as the figure advanced towards Merida with an eerie silence. Yet she was on her knees and crying as if she was in pain.

Our hero would then see brief memory flashes of that fateful day when, hours before his whole world was destroyed, his father told him what he really was.

...

Merida began walking backwards, away from her advancing foe. She fired arrow after arrow at it, but the creature either deflected the attack or just took it and kept on walking.

The forest was still shifting around her, and Mor'du and her grandmother were nowhere to be found.

Then the creature invaded her mind once more, causing her to drop her weapons once more. The princess could do nothing but curl up into a ball and cry out in pain as her mind was torn apart from the inside out.

...

Spiros was a child again.

Listening to his father as he explained his destiny to him.

_You must fight when others have given in._

_You must be strong for the weak._

_You must be brave for those that are fearful._

_You must have an indomitable will when facing those who would seek to corrupt you._

_You must be able to give sight to those who cannot see._

_You must be able to hear the cries that often fall on deaf ears._

_You must become the voice of those who cannot speak._

_When liberty dies, darkness falls and hope is lost. _

_You must __**rise **_to the challenge.

...

Spiros snapped back to reality, regaining control of his mind. The forest was no longer shifting. The strange creature was holding Merida by the neck. She was struggling to break free of the monstrosities grip.

"No, no one else is getting taken from me." the Greco snarled.

Our hero reacted on instinct and threw a right hook that should of resulted in a fireball flying out of his fist. Instead the chain that was wrapped around his forearm unfurled and flew out towards his foe like a whip. The chain wrapped itself around the creatures head. Spiros sent electricity surging up the chain.

His foe dropped the princess, who began gasping for breath. Now the creature was focusing on Spiros.

It tried invading his mind once again, although this time it had no success. Spiros' will was much stronger. His will to fight, both physically and mentally, had been restored.

Our hero yanked the creature, who was still caught up in the cursed chain, to the ground. He closed in and prepared to drive his sword into the abomination's chest as it thrashed around on the floor.

Before he could deal the finishing blow, the creature sunk into the ground as if it had been sitting on top of quicksand.

Spiros cursed in Greek and sheathed his sword. He then walked over to check on his friend, who was unconscious.

"Merida, can you hear me?" He asked, gently shaking her.

...

The Princess was standing amongst the stars, literally.

She watched as small dots of light slowly rotated around her. She was in awe at their beauty as well as their numbers.

_"Princess Merida, my my look at you. All grown up." _a voice said from the darkness.

"_Who's there?" _She asked, looking around.

_"I am Murchadh, father of the Wisps."_ The voice replied.

"_Why have you contacted me?" _She murmured.

"_I have foreseen the events of this day for eons, Balor has returned, has he not?" _The Voice inquired.

"_Yes he has, we need to find out how to defeat him. He seeks to destroy our home." _She explained.

"_His motives are far more complex then you know. If you come to my domain, I will be able to pass on vital information that will aid you in your fight against Balor." _The Voice told her.

"_Where are you exactly?" _She asked.

_"The Great Library, in the heart of the Clan MacGuffin's territory. You must prepare for the journey though, it will be long and hard, and you will make allies as well as enemies." _The Voice explained.

"_I will see you soon, I guess." _She murmured.

_"One final thing. Return to your home and you will find a...surprise." _The Voice told her with mischievous tone.

_"Surprise...what kind of surprise?"_ She asked.

_"Goodbye Princess."_

_..._

"Merida!" Spiros shouted as her eyes fluttered opened.

"Ugh...my head." She grumbled.

"Your heart had stopped, I was afraid I had lost you." He whimpered.

"I had the strangest vision." She muttered.

"What did you see?" He asked.

"Well I didn't _see_ much. It was what I heard that was strange." She explained, telling her friend about her little chat with Murchadh.

He raised an eyebrow and appeared to be in deep thought before speaking.

"How far is MacGuffin territory from here?"

"A three days journey at least. Castle MacGuffin is high in the mountains." She replied.

"Well we'd best gather our supplies, after we investigate this _surprise _he was talking about." He said, pulling his friend to her feet.

She noticed he was shaking.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah...it's just a little chilly." He lied.

Then out of the shadows came The Triplets, atop Angus. Their eyes were wide with fear and worry.

"Boys, what are you doing out here?" Merida asked.

"Its Maudie." They yelped simultaneously.

...

They were heading back to Castle DunBroch at full speed.

Merida had Angus jump through the giant gaping hole in the outer stonewall.

Slain guards lay in a trail of destruction that led to the main entrance.

The Clydesdale slid to a halt at the base of the stone steps that led into the main hall. The great wooden door that had been in place for generations had a gaping hole in its center that was sizzling. Acid had been used to create an entry way.

Merida prepared her bow and Spiros drew his sword. They cautiously entered the main hall with The Triplets following silently behind them.

Maudie lay in the center of the hall, clutching her side.

"No!" Merida shouted, dropping her bow and rushing to the maid's side.

Spiros sheathed his sword. It was clear the attackers were gone. He examined the damage. Scorch marks on the floor. Chunks of the floor had been torn up and thrown across the room. Giant footprints marked the path of destruction from the whole in the outer wall and all the way into the main hall. There was a hole in the ceiling, where it appears the combatants had exited, or possibly entered.

"Maudie, who did this to you?" The Princess asked.

"A man, a man in a giant bronze suit. It was the biggest suit of armor I have ever seen." She explained.

"Where are my parents, and Gordon?" She asked.

"They chased him off, along with a girl in a cloak...I think...I think it was..."

"Maudie, stay with me! Just take deep breaths, ok?"

The maid's eyes were fluttering.

"Spiros, help!" Merida wailed.

"Boys, go upstairs please. I need to help your sister." The Greco told the Triplets.

"Are you goanna make Maudie feel better?" They asked.

"I'm going to try." He assured them.

The Triplets then did as instructed, going off to their room quickly and quietly.

"I'm here." Our hero told the Princess as he knelt down next to the dying women.

"She's loosing so much blood." Merida murmured, tears forming in her eyes.

Spiros put his hands on the wound, pressing down on it until Maudie began to whimper from the pain.

Merida took the maid's hand.

"I'm right here Maudie, its goanna be alright." She assured her.

"Princess...do you remember the day you fell of Angus. How you had scraped your knee?"

Our heroine wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded.

"Mom was busy trying to keep the Lords from killing each other. You had to patch me up."

"You were trying to hide it by being tough, but I could tell you were hurting." The Maid recalled.

" You were always there for me." Merida murmured.

"Stay strong Merida...stay strong. Can you do that for me?"

The princess nodded, tears were now running down her face.

"I promise... I'll will never forget you."

"There's a good girl."

The maid reached up and ran her bloody hand through Merida's hair in a motherly fashion.

"Everything...will...be alright."

Spiros heard her exhale for the last time.

"Maudie, no no no! _**NO! You can't leave me! Please I need you! MAUDIE!" **_The Princess wailed.

Spiros sighed heavily, and as he stood a crossbow bolt slammed into his back.

Followed by another.

And another.

Two more hit him before he dropped.

His vision was fading fast, but he could see a teary eyed Merida being knocked out and dragged away by two Macintosh warriors.

The Greco turned to see Jon and who he assumed to be his father overseeing the capture.

"One less loose end." Jon growled.

"Soon Lord Macintosh and King Fergus will be executed by Balor. Then our seat of power in the new world order will be secure." His father replied.

"Aye, and now with the Vanguard dead and The Princess in chains, no one can stop us."

Spiros couldn't hold on any longer. He allowed darkness to overcome him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

...

"Hey Spiros, wake up."

Our hero groaned.

"Get up, my sister needs our help."

"_My _sister?" Spiros asked as he opened his eyes. He saw The Witch, a girl in a cloak, and The Triplets.

"Haha I knew that spell would work." The Witch cackled.

"What spell?" The Greco asked.

"It was healing incantation, lucky for you. It's miracle you were still breathing when we it here." The girl told him.

"Um...who are you?" Spiros asked.

The girl pulled her hood off of her head.

"Seona." She replied.

The girl had long straight brown hair and light brown eyes. She definitely resembled her mother. She was dressed in a black cloak, with a double bladed sword strapped to her back.

"You're supposed to be dead." Our hero murmured.

"It was a ruse to keep Balor away for a few more years. However you showed up and then everything went bad pretty quick." The Witch explained.

"Their will be time for explanations later, right now there are traitors amongst my people. It's time to kill them." Seona told our hero.

"I couldn't agree more." He replied.

"I like you already."

_Don't you just love cliffhangers! ;)_

_Sorry that this update took so long. I was in the middle of a move. Little time to write. I'm goanna try and get updates our more frequently now that we're settled in._

_I hope you enjoyed this long overdue update!_

_See you next time!_

_-Blu Wolf 923_


	7. Sins of our Fathers

Chapter 7

Sins of our Fathers

Spiros was up and about within minutes. He was furious and demanding answers. The Witch did her best to explain what was going on.

"It's a Coup de tat; Jon's father overthrew Lord Macintosh. The clan has been split in two. The Loyalists, who are still loyal to good ole Mac, and the Separatists. Those who are on the side of Jon's father, Duncan." She told the Greco.

"Why now, how long has he been planning this?" Our hero asked.

"Duncan and Fergus are childhood friends turned arch-rivals. They squared off years ago in a battle of swordsmanship that decided who would have my daughter's hand. Duncan preferred his axe over a sword and thus had a disadvantage." The Witch informed him.

"So I take it father won easily then." Seona murmured.

"Actually no. The playing field was quite even. Duncan was about a foot taller than Fergus at the time, he was also much stronger and had a significant reach advantage. Fergus however had better skills with a sword and was far more clever than Duncan."

Spiros was growing impatient with The Witch. He began tapping his foot. A subtle signal to the old women to hurry it up.

"After a few minutes of heated combat, things got progressively more vicious. It all came to a head when Duncan kicked some sand into Fergus' eyes. Fergus, fearful that he would lose, made a few desperate blind swings with his sword. In the process he cut Duncan's stomach open, spilling out his guts."

Our hero cringed.

"I'm surprised he wasn't punished."

"They both were thirty lashes each. Foul play was widely used in that fight. Ultimately though, everyone thought the damage done to Duncan would prove to be his demise and so my daughter's hand was awarded to Fergus by default." The Witch explained.

"So wait, you're _my _grandmother?" Seona asked.

"I would imagine that you're both confused." The Elder murmured.

"As a matter of fact, yes. She's supposed to be dead." Spiros replied.

"I will explain my connection to the Royal Family, but not of the conspiracy behind Seona's disappearance. It is not my tale to tell." The Witch assured him.

"Conspiracy?" Spiros asked.

The Witch continued on with her own story, ignoring The Greco.

"I was born into a family that was divided. Two brothers, my uncle, King Malcolm and my father King Grant. They were fighting a bloody civil war that was ravaging our land. I was trained as a Vanguard and an alchemist by a man named Findlay Hepburn."

"You're a Vanguard too?" Spiros asked.

"Aye lad, my ability to manipulate the elements has faded with age but I'm still the greatest alchemist in the land!" She said with a cackle.

"She's pretty modest too." Seona grumbled.

"Stop sidetracking me, the both of you!" The Witch grumbled.

"Sorry, please continue." Our Hero grumbled.

"Anyways, I was captured while doing some scouting on my Uncle's castle. The castle where I took you and Merida just a little while ago. I was captured and detained. Then Balor and the Horned King arrived. They destroyed most of the castle interior and killed King Malcolm. Mor'du wanted told his brothers they had to avenge their father's death. They refused though, thinking Balor and the Horned King were not to be trifled with. Mor'du became enraged and still wanted revenge. He came to me and asked for the strength of ten men. I did grant his wish, and after launching an attack on my father and the rest of my family as well as his own brothers he finally gained control of the kingdom."

The Witch paused with a look of discontent on her face before continuing.

"After this, he went off in search of Balor and the Horned King. He had heard the duo was looking for something called The Ancient Garrison. However the Horned King had more pressing matters to attend to and left this land. Balor however pressed on and continued his search. Mor'du, whom was now teetering on the edge of become a wild beast, tracked Balor down and defeated him in single combat. After this there was peace. Mor'du was presumed dead, and so there was no heir to the throne."

"So who replaced Mor'du?" Seona asked.

"A few castaways from a distant archipelago out in the north sea arrived on our shores. Their leader proved himself by defeating a sea monster that had been ravaging our coastline. He was considered worthy enough to be treated as a native of Clan DunBroch and married me, but died of an ailment just days before Elinor was born. Once she became of age, she married Fergus. His father had been captain of the guard and had married the daughter of a local blacksmith. When Fergus became of age he participated in the Shadow Seekers competition and won, earning just enough credibility to be able to compete for Elinor's hand. After they had been married for at least a few years they had Merida and Seona shortly after. When Seona was born, I had a vision of Balor returning along with the Horned King and unleashing what lies dormant in the Ancient Garrison. I then saw a Vanguard and a Princess of DunBroch fighting a great battle against an ancient force that cannot be bargained with. They want the world and they will annihilate anyone who gets in their way." The Witch said with great sorrow.

"I'm guessing that ancient force resides in the garrison." Seona murmured.

"Yes, when I told your father of this he accused me of going mad. He said the Ancient Garrison was nothing but a myth. I insisted that you and your sister be trained as warriors but your mother refused. He caught me trying to teach you both how to unlock your ability to manipulate the elements. Your parents were furious and I was banished as a result. Now Balor is back and he is without a doubt behind the coup that Duncan staged. I would bet my life that he is heading to the Ancient Garrison right now, with Merida and her father in tow." The old woman told her granddaughter.

"Where is the garrison located?" Spiros asked.

"Beneath the Great Library, according to legend." Seona replied.

"First things first, we need to find Merida, Macintosh and The King. As long as Balor and Duncan have them, they have a lot of leverage. If we take that away it will be easier to combat them." Spiros told her.

"Sounds like you've had some experience in situations like these." She said flatly.

"This isn't the first time I've put down a coup." Our hero replied.

"Where is my mom? Wherever she is going, Duncan will likely follow. If he wants this coup to be successful he'll need her in captivity as well." Seona grumbled.

"Last I saw, Gordon was escorting her and the remaining clan leaders to an emergency meeting location. Where they will be safe until the coup subsides." The Witch replied.

Spiros quickly figured out why they had left, he could hear an army bearing down on Castle DunBroch. They planned in seizing the building.

"Where would Gordon take the others?" Spiros asked.

"Fort Ness, the old castle that my family used to reside in. It's at least a day's journey to the south." Seona told him.

"Well if we went by air, we could probably get their by dawn." Our hero told her.

"I will take the Triplets to my home in the forest. We will be safe there." The Witch told the duo.

"Stay safe SPywos." The Triplets instructed.

Will do fellas, we'll shred some mud when I get back. Promise." He told the little ones who smiled in response.

Our hero then turned his attention to the task at hand.

"Where is Angus?" He asked.

"He was captured as well. Last I saw he was speared in the side trying to save Merida while she was being dragged off." Seona murmured.

"We should probably get going." The Greco told her.

"Right." She replied.

…

The duo made their way to the stables to find that Visilis was hiding in a pile of hay.

"Good job staying hidden bud, there's no telling what Jon would have done if he had found you." Our hero said with a sigh of relief.

The Griffin replied with a vicious hiss.

"Yeah, we're going after 'em. They'll bleed out quick if they're lucky." The Greco replied.

The Griffin stood and spread his wings. Our hero hopped onto the creature's saddle. However Seona was hesitating.

"Well, get on." Spiros told her.

"Is it safe?" She asked.

"I've been doing this for years, trust me." He assured her.

She hopped onto the Griffin and held onto the sides of the saddle.

"I've only fallen off twice." He murmured.

"Wait _**WHAT?**_" She shouted.

They were airborne just seconds later.

The Griffin flew quickly over the tree tops, the wind whistling over the creature's wings. After a few minutes of high speed flying the Griffin was forced to slow down or face over exerting himself.

The moon was high in the sky, and they had a good strong tailwind. Spiros considered this a good omen. He used his celestial navigation skills as well as some input from Seona to maintain the proper flight path.

"So how did you go about meeting my family?" Seona shouted over the wind.

Spiros replied, but she couldn't hear.

"WHAT?!" She asked

"I crashed in front of your house!" He told her.

"I imagine my patents rolled out quite the welcome wagon!" She said with a grin.

"Well I was greeted with weapons at first, but I think they like me now!" He replied.

"Speak up!" She grumbled.

He repeated himself, trying to be louder this time.

"What do you think of my sister?" She asked.

"She's...something else." He replied with a dreamy grin.

"_**SQUAAAWWWK." **_

"No one is talking to you!" Our hero grumbled.

"Well Spiros, you seem like a nice guy but let's get one thing clear: You hurt my big sis, I'm putting you and your overgrown turkey on a spit roast, clear?"

Visilis hissed, clearly he was a wee bit offended.

"Crystal." Spiros replied.

...

Merida had been tossed into the carriage like she was an animal. They had chained her by her wrists to the floor and they had blindfolded her as well. Angus had been hurt trying to help her. He was in the carriage too, but she could tell he had been restrained as well. She would hear him whinny and soon the whole carriage would be shaking. The guards would pound on the sides of the carriage and tell her to shut him up or else. She would then be forced to talk to her friend telling him everything would be alright. She felt horrible lying to him but it kept him from getting killed.

The Princess knew she had to escape. It was the only way to ensure the survival of her father and Lord Macintosh. She had overheard that they still wanted to capture her mum before proceeding to Balor's location. If she could escape, they would have to further postpone their plans. Slowly but surely, she developed a plan. In an hour or so a guard would come into the carriage to check on her. If it was the same one that had tossed her in here, she could strike.

Sure enough, she felt the carriage come to a stop and then she heard the door open and then creak as it was closed but she could feel a cold breeze still coming in. He had left the door cracked.

"Well hello Princess, how are you doing?" The guard asked in an obviously sarcastic tone.

Merida knew this was the guard she had been hoping for. She recognized his voice.

She promptly pretended to look around, as if she was confused about where the noise was coming from. She heard the footsteps and assumed he was getting closer. She promptly stopped looking around and pretended to cower, bringing her legs up to her chest.

"Now I'm going to ask you once more, where did your mother run off to?" The guard asked.

She intentionally mumbled incoherently.

She heard wood creak and felt the guard's warm breath. He has taken a knee in front of her.

"What was that lass?" He asked.

She head-butted the guard and the lashed out with her legs, wrapping them around his neck. She then proceeded to choke him into submission. It took all of her strength to keep the guard from getting out of the headlock. Finally after about thirty seconds or so, she felt her foe go limp, followed by a few twitches. She waited for another ten seconds before releasing him. She heard him fall to the floor with a thud.

She felt around with her feet, hoping she would find what she was looking for.

Eventually she felt something, a stick like object. She rolled it with her feet, the object rolled perfectly. She then rolled it back as close as she could get it to herself. She then bent down a picked it up with her mouth. Although the chains gave her arms limited mobility, she managed to drop it into right hand.

Everything was working out so far, but she had to act fast. She could hear Angus stirring and it wouldn't be long before they came looking for the guard. She used her hand to feel around for the object she needed. She felt the sharp edges of an arrowhead.

"Perfect." She murmured.

The Princess then put the arrowhead in her mouth and chewed on the wooden bit that kept it secured to the rest of the arrow. Eventually the arrowhead came free and she allowed the wooden shaft to drop to the floor. Then she heard the door creak as it was opened.

"What's taken you so long!" a guard shouted.

There was a brief silence.

"She did something to him." another voice hissed.

"Little brat!" The first voiced snarled as she felt a fist connect with her cheek.

Angus whinnied angrily in protest.

"Shut up!" The other guard commanded.

She could only whimper as the arrowhead, which was still in her mouth, sliced up in inside of her mouth.

"Drag him outside and wake him up, and make sure she doesn't get any rations tomorrow." The guard who had punched her told his accomplice.

The carriage door was slammed shut.

"_Too bad I won't be here tomorrow._" Merida thought.

She used tongue to rotate the arrowhead around so that the point would be facing outwards. Then she slid the arrowhead forward and clenched it between her teeth. Bringing her right hand up as far as she could she then bent down and allowed the point of the arrowhead to protrude from her lips. She then poked various areas of her lower arm until she found her wrist. She carefully inserted the arrowhead into the keyhole and began wiggling it around trying to unlock it.

After about fifteen minutes she heard the lock click. She carefully brought her left hand over into her lap and then did so with her right hand. She then tugged on iron circle with her hand and it opened with ease. She then spit the arrowhead out and used her free hand to remove her blindfold.

Angus was tied to the floor via a chain leash that connected to a collar on his neck. Dried blood could be seen on his ribcage. The carriage was dimly lit by a single lantern. The Clydesdale whinnied when he saw Merida take her blindfold off.

The Princess shushed him as she picked up the arrowhead with her free hand. Then within in minutes she was free. She tried to pick the lock on Angus' collar but the arrowhead tip broke off in the keyhole. Jamming the locking mechanism. She would have to find another way to free her friend.

An axe might work, but she would need to get one first. She dropped to a crouch and slowly opened the door of the carriage.

She could hear Jon's father shouting, it sounded like a speech. Examine her surroundings; she noticed that they had stopped in a small town. The tallest structure was a Tower house; this was most likely where the village officials lived. She quickly began developing a plan. She would free Lord Macintosh, her dad and Angus. They would then get into the Tower house and find away to get word out to those who were still loyal to the Royal Family.

Barricading themselves in the Tower house wouldn't be enough though. They needed a bargaining chip. She grinned at her next thought.

The hostages were about to be the hostage-takers.

She crept up behind two guards. She instantly recognized their voices. The one on the left was the one who had hit her; the one on the right was his buddy. She got in close and attacked the guard on the left. Lashing out she used her hands to slam his head into a nearby carriage wheel. Then she took the hatchet off his belt and spun around and swung it at the other guard. The blade of the hatchet caught him in the throat.

Our heroine placed her hand over his mouth, muffling his dying breaths. She slowly lowered him to the ground and then removed her weapon from his throat. She took the long hunting knife from the guard's belt as well as a large collection of keys.

Now she needed some hostages.

She crept through the shadows, listening to the speech of a madman.

"I have seen the future, a future in which all things are possible. Plague will disappear, feasts worthy of being eaten by the gods will be available to all, knowledge will replace ignorance, and we will build great cities with buildings so tall they will touch the clouds!" Jon's father shouted. His name was Duncan if she recalled correctly.

The crowd was murmuring excitedly.

"Balor has introduced me to the Omegasevrians. Now the tyrant _King _Fergus tells me that Balor cannot be trusted. How would he know? The first time he met Balor was when he fought him after the Shadow Seeker competition."

There was grumbling from the crowd.

"When I met one of the Omegasevrians for the first time, I was taken aback. They look nothing like us. They speak in a language far different from ours. They have tools that are far more sophisticated then our own. They do not use horses and carriages; they use prisms that roll around on wheels, similar to our catapults. They have small airships that are faster than any dragon, and they have massive floating fortresses that can fill up the sky."

The crowd was growing evermore restless.

"When our new friends arrive, things will never be the same. They will show us their knowledge and we will enter a new golden age in which the whole world will be at our fingertips. However there are some who would seek to stop this revolution."

The crowd was now on the verge of anarchy.

"Some of them are here tonight, I captured them from their seat of power and now I will put them in their place. Behold!"

Merida was forced to creep up behind the makeshift stage that had been set up. She saw Jon and his Father standing behind a podium. A guard stood on either side of them. One had her bow and quiver. She would be needing both of those items.

Off to their left, a masked man with long sword was dragging Lord Macintosh up to the stage by his hair. The crowd was now jubilant.

"Your reign of tyranny is over Macintosh, you can no longer throw our sons and grandsons at the Roman Legions when they arrive at Fergus' doorstep." Jon's father bellowed.

"It was for the safety of our land, Duncan, we had no choice. It was...a sacrifice that needed to be made." Macintosh said definitely.

The crowd was on the verge of starting a riot. They were already throwing things at the clan leader.

"You take these people for granted. They work all day to supply the four clans with food, weapons, armor, clothes. Without them, you'd be NOTHING!" Duncan shouted, kicking Macintosh in the head.

"NOTHING!" The crowd chanted.

"I am aware of the contributions the outlying villages make to maintain our way of life. If your lives were really worth nothing to us, as Duncan suggests, we would not have given you the permission to venture out here and start communities." The clan leader protested.

"So now they are worth something to you, now that you are at _their _mercy, you feel as if a few simple words of gratitude can fix decades of bad blood!?" Jon asked, speaking for the first time.

Merida shifted uncomfortably; things weren't looking good for Lord Macintosh.

"My son speaks the truth, where were you when the great floods came last spring and decimated the outlying communities. They received no aid, no compassion from their _protectors." _Duncan snarled.

"All of us were affected by the flood; we had to take care of our own before-"

Macintosh paused realizing he had made an error in his choice of words.

Duncan seized his chance.

"So you _do _admit that you do not recognize these people as your own."

The crowd was now in a frenzy.

They wanted blood.

Macintosh tried to protest, but the roar of the crowd drowned out even his voice.

"There you have it ladies and gentlemen. The clan leaders do not care for you, but I do. I can help you. I will raise you to a higher plain of existence. We must seize this chance; we must _**KILL against those who would seek to hold us back from the glories of a new world order!"**_

The crowd was now chanting "DEATH" and "BLOOD!" They were already drawing their weapons and more guards had been summoned by Duncan to keep them from completely loosing it.

Jon turned to the masked man and drew a line across his throat.

The executioner nodded and raised his long sword.

Merida had to act.

_Now_.

She sprung to her feet and threw the axe at the executioner. The blade embedded itself into his chest, killing him almost instantly.

She then sprinted up to the Duncan and drove her knife into the back of his right knee. She then put him in a headlock and pointed her knife at his throat.

"SHUT IT!" She shouted, her voice sending the crowd into a relatively stunned silence.

"You're supposed to be in chains." Duncan said through clenched teeth.

"Hasn't Jon told you, I don't do the whole damsel in distress thing." She hissed.

She then looked around, ensuring that no guard would try to be a hero and stab her from behind.

"Release Lord Macintosh, my father _and_ my horse or I kill him." She told one of the guards, since she was unable to gather the courage to even look at Jon.

The guards hesitated.

She responded by using her knife to create a small cut on Duncan's throat.

"NOW!" She snarled.

A group of guards rushed off.

Within a minute or so, Lord Macintosh had been released. She then demanded that Angus and her father be moved to the Tower house without any kind of treachery, or else. Finally she asked that her bow and quiver be given to Macintosh. After all this, she gave Duncan, and her knife, to Macintosh. Who blinded his hands some spare rope he found lying around on the stage. He wrapped rest of the rope around Duncan's feet. He then threw the traitor over his shoulder and high tailed to the Tower house. She followed close behind.

Macintosh ran into the main hall and passed Duncan to Fergus who carried him upstairs. He held the door open for the young princess who was sprinting towards him. She then heard the whistling of an arrow and instinctively rolled to the side. An arrow impaled itself in the ground near her. She drew her bow, turned around and fired off an arrow. It barley got a few feet away from her when it collided with another arrow that was already in flight. The two arrows fell to the ground. Merida realized that particular arrow could have hit her square on the forehead.

"Stand down Razor!" a voice called.

Merida was ready to roll again, but her unseen foe had stopped shooting.

Balor walked into the courtyard, practically walking right out of the darkness of the night.

She notched another arrow and took aim at her foe's head.

She forced her arms remain steady, trying to suppress her nervous tremble. She succeeded; Balor chuckled as if he was impressed that she hadn't curled up into a ball like a frightened child.

No one but Balor noticed an eagle taking flight from a nearby tree-line and flying off into the night.

...

That eagle was in fact carrying a message from a group of spies who were reporting back to their commander. Their commander was a Roman Praetor named Tiberius. He was leading his legion to an old land that had remained unconquered by Rome for generations. Well at least until now, his legion was 6,000 strong and were the best the empire had to offer. He had even brought his son Caelius, and his prodigal daughter Aeliana.

He knew his daughter would make a fine centurion. However, women were not supposed to be in the military. He had to pull a lot of strings to get her onto this little expedition. He had tried to convince her to stay in Rome, but he should have known that it was a futile attempt. She was cunning, uncompromising, and manipulative. Just like her father.

She had blonde hair, bright blue eyes and chalky white skin. She was dressed in typical roman military clothes. A red cloth tunic that went down to her knees, she wore a black breastplate over this. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail. She had gladius strapped to her side and a crossbow slung over her shoulder.

Her brother looked more liked her father then she did. Brown curly hair, blue eyes that were a bit darker then hers. He wore a blue cloak over his grey tunic. He had stubbornly refused to wear any armor except his Murmilo helmet that a retired gladiator had given to him in his youth and the manica (arm guard with overlapping metal plates) that he wore on his left arm. Her brother was sitting cross legged on the bow of the ship, his trusty trident sitting in his lap.

The trident was a gift from their long deceased mother. She had given it to Caelius when he turned twelve years old. The trident was made of bronze, except for the steel spike that protruded from the bottom end of the weapon. The trident also had a brown leather grip and just above this, a message from their mother engraved in the bronze:

"Axios."

...

"He is worthy."

Aeliana knew why her mother had chosen that phrase for the engraving; their father had always been tough on Caelius. However after years of trying to mold him into the perfect commander, their father just gave up on him. He disowned him and refused to acknowledge him as kin. He called him a failure that would never fulfill the family's long standing tradition of military prowess. Their mother, however, had always favored Caelius. Well at least from Aeliana's point of view. She gave him that trident on his fourteenth birthday and told him that he was destined to surpass the legacy of all those that had come before them.

Less than two years later, their mother would be dead. Murdered by a vanguard who they had once called a friend.

A vanguard named Spiros.

After he was captured, their father had cursed him with the Chains of Pluto. A cursed chain that, according to legend, was forged in the heart of the underworld and cooled in the River Styx. Their father had told the vanguard that he had to "_find what you have lost, and become what you were once again."_ What that was exactly was a mystery that even Aeliana couldn't solve.

She knew one thing though.

Justice...no _**revenge**_ was close at hand.

She glanced up to see an eagle circling the crow's nest, but that is not what caught her eye. It was the gold figure that was streaking across the night sky, heading northwest at high speeds.

_"Hmm, looks like Shirley is running behind schedule."_ She thought.

...

Seona was the one who first noticed the fires burning in the small town they were flying over. Smoke was soon filling their lungs as they passed over the heart of the flames.

"**SQUAWK!**" Visilis screeched upon noticing the fires.

"I'm not sure what's going on down there bud." Spiros murmured.

"Take us down." Seona commanded.

The Griffin maintained altitude.

"He only listens to me." Spiros explained.

"Well tell him to take us down." She huffed.

"That might not be a good idea. All the fire and smoke will make it difficult to see what's going on. Not to mention that embers will be swirling around. If even one gets on Visilis wings, we'll be in serious trouble." He told her.

"Oh yeah, Griffin down is highly flammable." She murmured.

"Bingo." Our hero replied.

"_**SQUAWK!**_"

The Griffin sounded worried.

"Angus?" Spiros asked.

The Griffin bobbed his head in conformation.

"You can _hear _him?!" The Greco asked, they were now circling the burning town.

The Griffin bobbed his head again.

Our hero sighed; he clearly didn't like the idea of getting any lower.

"Take us in, but be careful."

The Griffin began a slow spiraling descent.

...

Balor had disappeared, telling Merida that killing her while she was alone would have been too 'anti-climactic'. He told her there would be quite an audience when she met her painful demise.

The Princess then retreated into the main hall of the tower house. She stood at the top of the main staircase, staring out of a broken window with an arrow notched in her bow.

Storm clouds were blowing in from the southeast. The people in the village below were gathering up the banners of the four clans that they flew from atop their city hall and burning them along with paintings, tapestries and any other flammable things that they could find that represented their ties to the clans.

Once and awhile an angry peasant would charge the tower house and lob anything from a rock to a spear at Merida. She would respond with an arrow to their leg or torso, depending on what the projectile was and how close it had come to hitting her. She was growing evermore restless, Jon was firing up the rebels and she guessed it wouldn't be long before they tried to storm the tower house.

People began shouting, and there was a new source of chaos in the town.

A griffin was flying very low and very slow over the town, Merida began calling to the rider of the creature. The griffin flew directly overhead and right as it passed overhead a figure landed in the courtyard. The figure proceeded to knock on the door. Lord Macintosh let him in.

She was relieved to see Spiros.

"Hey." He said, sitting down next to her.

"It's good to see you." She murmured.

"Likewise." He said with a small grin.

She went on to fill him in on what she had learned from Duncan's speech. The look of concern on his face became more apparent the more she told him. Once she was done, he sighed and propped himself up against the wall.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" She asked, referring to the Omegasevrians.

"I've heard stories, but they're all wildly different. The one commonality the stories share is that the Omegasevrians were around long before _any_ of us were here. After that the stories have various different takes on pretty much everything." He replied.

"Well if they have what Duncan says they have, we might be in some serious trouble." Merida grumbled.

"Agreed." Our hero replied.

They proceeded to sit silently for about ten minutes. In that time, the fires had died down and Angus had fallen asleep in the main hall. Merida had insisted that the horse be brought into the building for fear that he would be attacked by rebels if he was left outside.

Spiros also went to talk to Duncan.

"Let's get this straight; I think that you started this little uprising for a shot at the throne. You want revenge. Well, let me tell you that when you go on a quest for revenge you need to dig two graves. One for your enemy and one for yourself." The Vanguard snarled.

"I have many enemies boy." Duncan replied.

"Yeah, and unfortunately for you, I'm one of them. Now you're gonna tell me everything. I want names, locations and whatever else Balor told you. I want to know what he's planning and where he plans to strike. We can do it the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice." The Greco hissed.

"I've heard stories about being interrogated by a Vanguard. I don't believe them." The coup leader said with a smug grin.

"That's good, because the truth is much worse." Our hero told his foe, grabbing him by his hair and dragging him into the wine cellar.

...

Merida did her best to tune out the screams coming from the cellar. She was trying to get some sleep. It had been a long night and dawn was most likely a couple of hours away. She was still wearing the dress she had originally worn to the Victory Feast. Sure, she had managed to grab her black cloak before they had set out to Mor'du's castle. However, it was still awfully cold for a late summer night. She was propped up against her sleeping horse, who had a makeshift bandage covering his wound. Courtesy of Lord Macintosh, who had fashioned the bandage out of the draperies that hung from one of the windows upstairs.

Her father was currently on watch, with Lord Macintosh set to relieve him in a few hours. Her father had told them both to get some rest; their ordeal was not yet over. Lord Macintosh had brought a mattress down from upstairs. He thought it would be a good idea for two people to guard the main entrance and have a single person overlooking the whole town. That way they couldn't be caught off guard if the locals decided to attack.

He was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His sword was resting at his side, so close in fact that if he rolled over in his sleep, he might cut himself with his own blade.

There was a loud screech of pain from the wine cellar.

"That boy sees no grey." Macintosh murmured.

"What do you mean my lord?" Merida asked.

"He has a very strong sense of right and wrong, good and evil, light and shadow. He sees no in between. You can see it in his eyes. He either considers you a friend or an enemy." He explained.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Merida murmured.

"Well it depends on how you look at it lass. If you are his friend, he will trust you a great deal. However this leaves him very vulnerable, a betrayal of his trust could carry lingering consequences. If you are his enemy, well it will probably require a great deal work to get him to trust you or even acknowledge you as an ally. For example, I saw him talking to my son before the Shadow Seeker competition. He acted friendly to my son, but in the back of his mind I can almost guarantee you that in the back of his mind, he was snarling like a feral wolf."

"Are you saying he's holding a grudge against your son?" She asked.

"Well yes, but I can assure you it's not just my son. I bet there are others."

Merida didn't want Macintosh to be right. In the back of her mind, she was fearful for Jon. Yes, he had betrayed them. However, she still cared for him dearly. She was willing to forgive him, but what about Spiros. Would he always consider Jon a threat?

She contemplated this matter as the cellar doors opened and her friend stepped out of the darkness. His forehead was beaded with sweat, he seemed calm, but she could see the truth in his eyes. Thoughts were shooting around in his head, moving faster than lighting.

He walked over and sat down next to her, giving a great sigh as he brought his legs up to his chest and placed his chin in his knees. He seemed to be acting like a child who was pouting.

"Did he talk?" Fergus shouted down from the top of the staircase.

"He sang, well not literally. He's practically worthless though. He doesn't know anything more then what we already know." The Greco replied.

"So we're at a dead end then?" Macintosh asked.

Spiros nodded.

Fergus cursed and returned to his post.

Macintosh sighed and closed his eyes, not commenting on the news. He was snoring within minutes.

...

Spiros was really trying to get some sleep, but the blasted chain wrapped around his arm was tighter than ever. He had really pushed himself to the limit during the integration. If he wasn't careful, his arm might be snapped in two.

He rotated his wrist and groaned. Merida, who had begun to doze off, noticed this and sat up. She gently grabbed Spiros' wrist and held it in place. Then with her other hand, she ran her fingers on the surface of the chain that was causing her friend. It was icy cold to the touch, yet the glyphs blazed like they were on fire. It was a most peculiar contrast.

"I know you're a Vanguard, I've heard the stories. The Order guards the entire world from the forces evil. You guys root out corruption and injustice. You're trained to be a warrior who has control over the elements." She murmured.

"Yup." He replied.

That was putting it simply.

"The Order is highly respected across the known world. Even in Rome. Your ability in combat is virtually unmatched. Most potential vanguards die in training, when they receive their powers." She continued.

"When our powers are bestowed upon on us, they cut open our arms and legs and carve ancient charms into our bones. Then they stitch us back up. If you survive the ordeal, and survive the ailment most come down with afterwards you are considered a Vanguard." He said with a nod.

"It must have been a horrible experience." She murmured.

"I often do not like the path fate tells me to walk, but I walk that path none the less. Not because I have to, but because I feel obliged to. If I was not destined for this life, I would not be here." He said somberly.

The Princess nodded slowly.

"Which means I wouldn't have met you." He said with a grin.

"Yeah that would have been a shame, I'm pretty great." She replied with a wink.

Her friend chuckled at that.

"I have a question." She told him.

"Fire away." He told her.

"Do you like being a Vanguard?" She asked.

"It can be...trying at times." He murmured.

"Really?" She asked, truly mystified. He could go practically anywhere, and he answered to no one. How could he say such a thing?

"I'm just tired of the pointless killing. I'm tired of watching people, good people, fight and die over a scrap of land or a seat on the throne. Now, I know I was chosen to bear the weight of the world but...I didn't ask for it. I think there are people who would be a far better vanguard then I could ever be."

_"That's not true." _She wanted to tell him.

"Now, I'm not saying I won't do what is necessary, should the situation arise. I'm just saying that...I don't want to live by the sword my entire life. Constantly hunting down murders, war lords, and the forces of evil. When my hair is grey, I want to be able to live in peace by the ocean and only draw my sword when I absolutely need to." He said with a sigh.

"Sadly, there are no happy endings. Besides, a Vanguard wanting a peaceful retirement is considered weak, and foolish." He added.

"You're not weak or foolish for wanting that." She assured him.

"Yes I am, especially after what happened in Rome." He grumbled.

"Is that where this thing got wrapped around your arm?"

He nodded.

"Why?" The Princess asked, tightly wrapping her cloak around herself.

He didn't answer.

"Why is this thing wrapped around your arm?" She asked again, trying to get him to open up.

He sighed.

"It's a branding, a punishment. I did something very wrong." It seemed like he wanted to leave it at that.

"Spiros, please. Talk to me." She pleaded.

He remained silent.

The Princess sighed in defeat.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. I know I can't make you talk, but if you want to...I'm willing to listen. After all, you did the same for me." She told him, lacing her fingers into his.

"I was tracking a rogue Vanguard who was planning to assassinate the emperor. I cornered her in a market place and we began to fight. In the skirmish, I got a hold of a bow. I was a pretty bad shot but I managed to kill her when she made a run for it. It was the Praetors wife, his name was Tiberius. He had me arrested and thrown in jail. After a trial I was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. That night I broke out and sought out my informant in the city. He told me that it had been a set up. He had found out that someone wanted that woman dead and they used me to make it so." He began.

"Who set you up?" Merida asked, reminding our hero about how his little brother asked questions about events in a bedtime story.

"I never found out, the city guards kicked in my informant's door and killed him on the spot for conspiring with me. I fled the city, using the rooftops rather than the streets. I was about to make my get away by jumping into the river when Tiberius managed to corner me. He muttered an incantation that made the chain shoot up from the ground and wrap itself sound my arm." He explained.

"Why didn't you try to explain to him that you were being setup?" The Princess murmured.

"I did, he didn't believe me. His ancestors never got along well with my family. Well until a few years ago, they had taken me in once I was thirteen and the Griffins agreed it was time for me to be released into the world as a fully trained Vanguard. I stayed with them for a brief time until one fateful night. Tiberius had disrespected my father's name, saying if he had spent more time training with his blade and less time fishing, he would still be alive." The Greco grumbled.

"That seems a little harsh." Merida murmured.

"Yeah, like I said our families have never really gotten along. Anyways, after that we got in a fight and I ended up running away the next day. Setting out for my first assignment, fighting for the Empire in Gaul. That's an entirely different story though." He said with crunched eyebrows as if he was struggling to remember.

"So you tried explaining everything to him." Our heroine grumbled, trying to jog her friend's memory.

"Oh right, sorry. He proceeded to call me a liar and a few other rude names. I, in turn, asked him what the chain was going to do. He told me that every time I use my powers, the chain will suppress the charms that have been carved into my bones by tightening, severely dampening their power. He also said that if the chain gets to tight, it could very well snap my arm in two. Effectively rendering me powerless for life." He mumbled.

The Princess' eyes were wide with surprise. She couldn't comprehend the pain that her friend was going through. She looked down at the chain to see that sections of his arm were either bright red or bruised. She also began recalling the stories surrounding Vanguards and their powers. The charms in their bones were all spiritually connected. All eight needed to be present in the body so that Vanguards could pull power from their animus (soul) and, using their charms, convert it into mana. Mana would then be used to generate elemental attacks.

"So then what happened?" She asked.

"I asked him how to get the chain off, he laughed and said that it wouldn't matter but for some reason he told me anyways. He told me to "_find what you have lost, and become what you were once again." _He told me that even _if_ I got the chain off, he would to kill me and avenge his wife. Even if it meant hunting me to the far side of the world. Then he drew his sword and attacked, but I countered the move and threw him off the roof, severely injuring him. Then I leaped into the river and sent myself into self exile. In the meantime, Rome is practically at war with all Vanguards." Our hero concluded.

Merida whistled, she suddenly felt guilty. She shouldn't have pushed him to recall all those bad memories.

"I'll never get this thing off me." The Greco hissed.

The princess suddenly realized the issue.

"Spiros, that's it. I know what you lost." She told him.

"What?" He asked.

"You've lost your faith, your faith in yourself!" She explained.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." He told her.

"After Rome, you sent yourself into exile. You felt guilty, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course. I killed an innocent person. Ever since Rome, I've just felt...different. I feel like I can't do anything right anymore. I mean look at what happened earlier, Jon and his dad got the jump on me, and Balor swept me aside like I was nothing." He grumbled.

"Right, so you just need to let it go. You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened in Rome, or at the castle. We all make mistakes, even Vanguards. You need to forgive yourself and accept that fact that even though you make mistakes, it doesn't make you weak, or a failure." She told him.

"Merida, the thing is, I did fail. I failed at Rome, I failed at the castle and I was weak when I attacked the _image_ of the demon that killed my entire family. Now we don't know how to stop Balor! A Vanguard is not supposed to fail, we must be strong. Not weak." He stammered.

The Princess squeezed her friend's hand and with her other hand, gently grabbed hold of the back of his neck. She pulled his head forward so that his forehead was gently pressed up against hers.

"You were a person before you were a Vanguard. That means you're not perfect and being a Vanguard doesn't change that. I doubt anyone expects you to be. I know I don't." She told him before pausing.

"Close your eyes." She instructed.

He sighed and did as she asked.

"Now, breathe in."

He inhaled.

"Breathe out."

He exhaled.

"Think about what happened in Rome. Think about the events of this evening. Now accept that they happened, and accept that you did all you could. Accept the fact that, from time to time, you're going to fall off your horse. However you need to be able to get up, get back on the saddle and keep on riding." She told him.

He exhaled again, trying to do what she was asking of him.

The chain loosened a great deal, it was nowhere near unraveling but it was looser then it had ever been. Admittedly, our hero was still having trouble accepting the whole 'get back on the saddle idea', this was probably why the chain did not unwrap completely.

Merida opened her eyes and smiled, noticing the astonishment on her friends face.

"You're welcome." She said with a grin.

He responded by kissing her.

It lasted only a few seconds, but butterflies filled her stomach for what seemed like hours. When he pulled away she couldn't decide whether to blush and giggle like a stereotypical princess or tackle him and kiss him back.

While contemplating this, he had already begun to doze off. He had propped himself up against Angus' side.

"Thank you." He murmured, presumably in his sleep.

She simply smiled and snuggled up next to him before falling asleep as well.

...

Spiros slowly opened his eyes, directly in front of him; Fergus was sleeping on the mattress that Lord Macintosh had set up last night. Our hero looked over to his left to see Merida leaning against his shoulder. He ran his fingers gently through her blazing red hair which smelt like a forest after a springtime rain shower. The Princess made a noise in her sleep before shivering for a brief second. Spiros promptly wrapped his arms around her and, in response; she promptly scooted closer to him.

The duo probably could have stayed that way forever, but the screech of a Griffin overhead made everyone stir.

_"Sounds like Seona is back, I hope she brought help." _Spiros thought to himself.

Wait...

**Seona!**

"Merida, wake up!" Our hero whispered, gently shaking his friend.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open; she slowly sat up straight and stretched her arms.

"What's the matter?" She asked, sounding a little irritated.

"I have something to tell you, it's about-"

He never got to finish, because a golden arm punched through the wooden door. The arm grabbed hold of Spiros' foot using its crab like claw. He was then dragged out into the courtyard and thrown into a wall. Another shriek came from the sky. No doubt Visilis had caught sight of the fiasco. It was pretty early in the morning, the sun had just barley come up and by the looks of things, it had rained the previous night.

His attacker was not a monster. It was an automaton.

An ancient war machine that must have been built using Atlantian power crystals to function, Use of these crystals, or any Atlantian technology that was recovered from archeological dig sites was strictly forbidden across the known world.

The machine was approximately twelve feet tall; it resembled a humanoid solider but had a slight slouch in its stance. The head was a silver and gold Thracian gladiator helmet with glowing orange eyes. The torso and legs were bulky and heavily armored; a large silver octagonal tank was strapped to the machine's back. A pair of golden tubes of some kind ran from the tank and into a silver elongated triangular prism that was mounted atop the wrist of the golden crab-like claw that was attached to the left arm. The right arm had a golden humanoid hand, but mounted onto its wrist was a 6ft long silver sword with the letters SPQR carved into the blade. The silver feet of the machine were Y shaped for some odd reason, while the torso and arms were gold. However the legs were silver and to top it all off the machine moved just as fast as any horse.

Our hero barely had any time to react as the machine came barreling towards him. He was forced to roll out of the way realizing he had no weapon. As he came out of his roll, he spun around and threw an overhand punch. A wave of fire materialized and slammed into the machine, although it didn't do a whole lot. The machine made whirring noise and turned around. Pointing its elongated triangular prism at him. Neon green flames shot from the device, it was Greek fire.

Spiros punched the ground and a wall of stone shot up from the ground, protecting him from the searing flames. Greek fire was artificially made and thus cannot be manipulated by any Vanguard. This also meant that the flames could still burn or kill our hero, unlike regular fire which he could control.

After the flames subsided, he lowered the walls of stone to half his height. He then vaulted over them and summoned the immense power of the planet. Stones shot up from the ground and formed makeshift gloves around his hands. He got in close and delivered an uppercut that sent the machine reeling.

He then closed back in, delivering a few punches to the torso hoping to make a dent. However all he did was break his gloves. The automaton threw a punch of his own. Spiros flew across the courtyard and went smashing through a row of potted plants. He tried to stand but the machine put its giant sword to his throat.

Visilis quickly changed that however.

The Griffin slammed into the automaton and used his talons to rip open the chest of the machine with such ease he might as well have been opening a letter. The automaton kicked the creature off of him and readied his flame thrower but the Griffin attacked again, using his beak to put a hole in the machine's head.

Spiros got to his feet, still dazed. He caught sight of Seona hopping off of Visilis' back.

"Spiros, catch!" She shouted, passing him his sheathed sword and shield. Which he had left strapped to his Visilis' saddle last night when he had been dropped off. His armor was probably still stored in the Griffin's saddle; he didn't have time to put it on at the moment.

Then, out of nowhere some more unexpected help arrived.

The sons of the three clan leaders came sprinting into battle. Young Macintosh was wielding a two handed long sword, while Young Dingwall had a short sword in each hand, finally Young MacGuffin was charging in with a two handed war axe.

"What is that thing?" Dingwall shouted.

"Who cares, kill it!" Young Macintosh ordered.

"I'll go low!" MacGuffin snarled.

"I'll go high!" Dingwall replied.

"Spiros and I will hit it head on!" Young Macintosh said with a grin.

Our hero nodded, he liked that plan.

…

Merida was already working on a plan of escaping. She knew that her arrows would do nothing against the armored giant. However her father had wasted most of her arrows despite this. He claimed we was trying to find a chink in the armor, specifically focusing the giant octagonal tank. He thought that if he could puncture it, the metal giant would go up in flames.

The Princess, Lord Macintosh and Angus had snuck out of the tower house, bypassing the battle going on in the courtyard. Her father would remain in the tower house and guard Duncan. Our heroine knew Visilis couldn't fly them all out at once, but she did know that if she could get everyone in a carriage and then get Angus hooked up to that carriage they would be able to escape. Time was against them however, the residence of the rebelling town would surely notice the ongoing battle and would most likely try to storm the Tower house, kill her father and rescue Duncan.

They found an abandoned carriage rather quickly. The duo began hooking Angus up as quickly as possible. Merida felt a chill down her spine; she turned her gaze upwards to see Balor hanging from the top of a tree like how a sailor hangs from the riggings of a ship. He had a sinister smile spreading across his face like he wanted to say: _The clock is ticking_.

…

Young Dingwall clambered up the machines back and drove one sword into the automaton's head and the other into its left shoulder. He then ripped the blades out and stabbed again in different spots. The machine retaliated by using its humanoid hand to flick Dingwall off of its back like he was a fly.

MacGuffin closed in, rolling in between the machine's legs so that he could attack from behind. The young hero swung at the back of the automaton's knee with his axe. The machine dropped to one knee, clearly affected by the attack. Spiros surged forward and punched the automaton with the edge of his shield. The machines head was not dented and one of the eyes had stopped glowing.

Visilis charged in again hopping onto the machines back and tearing open its shoulder, revealing a mess of gears, wires and…the arm of a person. Someone was controlling this metal monster. The griffin was surprised by this discovery and ceased his attack for a fateful moment. The machine took the chance to throw the creature off his back and take shot at him with its flamethrower.

"Get out of there!" Seona shouted surging forward with her own weapon in hand, a double bladed sword. The machine used its other arm to smack her away as it unleashed a torrent of Greek fire.

Visilis tried to take off and get out of dodge but the flames managed to ignite his left wing. The Griffin shot into the sky but immediately began spinning around in the air, trying to extinguish the flame. He failed to do so however and fell out of the sky, disappearing as he dropped below the tree line that lay on the horizon.

"I'll kill you!" Spiros shouted, attacking with renewed rage.

Behind him, he heard a horse trot up and come to a halt.

"Let's get out of here!" Merida shouted.

King Fergus sprinted past the battle, with Duncan slung over his shoulder.

The others reluctantly retreated, making their way to the carriage.

Except for Spiros who remained lock in a sword fight with the automaton.

Our hero cursed as his sword was knocked out of his hand. He kept fighting though, surging forward and ripping the automaton's sword off of its arm, ducking as the machine tried to snatch him up with his claw, spinning around and driving the blade into the machine's head. Then he pulled the blade downwards, cutting open the automaton's neck and chest like he was gutting a fish.

He made eye contact with the man who had probably just killed his best friend.

He had a single eye, long blonde hair, and a muscular figure. His blue eyes shone with hatred and bitter aggression. He looked like a man who had lost everything to a bad bet. That didn't save him though; Spiros shot a bolt of electricity into his heart. He, as well as the whole machine began shaking uncontrollably before falling face first into the mud.

Spiros' ears were ringing; the chain had retightened itself since that battle began. In the distance, villagers were hooting and hollering. They were closing in fast.

Merida grabbed his arm and snapped him back to reality as a pitchfork sailed over his head.

"I told you, we are leaving!" She shouted.

The duo clambered onto the carriage as angry villagers began sprinting towards them with weapons and farming tools in hand.

Angus went straight into a gallop, following the road and riding at top speed out of the town.

"I think we're in the clear!" Seona shouted.

Merida turned to her sister, not yet realizing that it was about time for a reunion. Before such an occasion could commence though, Dingwall pointed something out.

"We have a tail!"

The metal man was sprinting towards them, and he was catching up.

"Oh boy." Seona murmured.

Spiros snarled, this guy needed to go down.

Then he noticed the orange power crystal that must have been the powering the whole suit. It was positioned just above the pilot's head.

"Merida, how many arrows do you have?" He asked.

"One." She told him, noticing his interest in the crystal.

She notched the arrow and took aim, but just as she was about to fire the metal man jumped up into the sky.

He would land right on top of them if she missed.

"_No pressure."_ She thought.

_**A.N-Sorry these updates take so long. Between school and time with my family, the time I have to write comes in short bursts. Although shorter chapters may help, well as of now things are kicking into high gear. I hope the little family history lesson at the beginning of this chapter has cleared up the whole The Witch is Merida's grandma issue. I am considering giving Young Macintosh, Young Dingwall and Young MacGuffin first names so I have something to set them apart from their fathers. I'm open to suggestions people! Also, I am doing the Horned King Challenge, which is why I was referencing HTTYD last chapter. This will not become a crossover. **_

_**Well, that's all I have to say for now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. **_

_**Cheers!**_

_**-Blu Wolf 23**_

_**P.S-Greco is a term from someone who is from Greece. It is the equivalent of calling someone from America an American or someone from Brazil a Brazilian.**_


	8. Bad Blood

Last time on The Stones of Fate…

Spiros and his allies rescued Merida, her father and Lord Macintosh after Jon's Father launched a rebellion against the three clan leaders. We learned that Balor is planning to release an ancient army that will wipe the three clans off the face of the planet. Meanwhile Visilis was injured in combat and the romance between Merida and Spiros is beginning to blossom. As we speak our heroes are fleeing the village were Merida and her father were being held captive,

And Now…

_**Chapter 8**_

_**Bad Blood**_

Merida was about to let her arrow fly when the carriage hit a rut, everyone yelped as they were thrown about, Merida cursed and was forced to reset her aim, but the man in suit had already landed, just barely missing the carriage.

Angus was now running at full speed, but the man in the suit was close behind.

"Anytime now!" Young Macintosh hissed.

The Princess just rolled her eyes; she would fire when _she_ was ready.

The machine lunged at them, and in doing so, exposed its vulnerable power crystal. Merida took aim, but the machine dropped back before she could draw a bead on the target.

The carriage suddenly veered to the left, but the machine managed to keep pace with them.

Merida took aim as the man in suit raised his own ranged weapon, the flamethrower.

She still couldn't get an angle on the crystal, so she settled for the end of the flamethrower instead.

Our heroine let her arrow fly, and it flew to its target perfectly, lodging itself in the slot at end of the flamethrower. Now the weapon would not work. Well, that's what she thought anyway. Instead the man tried to fire any way, but the arrow she had lodged in the weapon caused the flames to engulf the inside of the flamethrower. The flames then traveled up the tubes that connected it to the large tank on the suit's back.

The entire suit exploded.

Green fire engulfed the entire suit, and the screams of the man operating it were loud as he jumped from the suit's inner workings and into a nearby puddle in an effort to extinguish the flames that had engulfed him. The entire machine collapsed into the mud with a mighty THUD.

Spiros told Fergus to stop the carriage and the King obliged, bringing the carriage to a halt on the side of the road.

The Vanguard hopped out of the carriage and went off to talk to the suit's operator.

Meanwhile, Seona was preparing to reveal herself to her sister.

"Nice job." She told her.

"Thanks." Merida replied.

Seona took a deep breath.

"I feel like I've met you before." Merida murmured before her sister could continue.

"You have, we...used to be close." Seona replied somberly.

"Really?" Our heroine asked.

"Yeah." Her sister replied.

"What's your name, maybe I'll recognize it." The Princess asked.

"It's...me Merida, your little sister."

"Seona?"

She nodded.

The duo embraced each other, tears of joy flowing from their eyes.

"Dad!" Merida called.

The King headed her call, coming to see what she wanted.

"What is it dear?" He asked.

"Hey Dad." Seona said, her voice faltering.

He was left speechless as she clambered out of the carriage and wrapped her arms around him.

"Your little girl has finally come home." She told him.

Merida got out of the carriage as well and hugged her father. Feelings of joy overwhelming her. Fergus hugged both of his daughters, trying to hold back his own tears.

"Lord Macintosh, give those three a minute to themselves and bring Duncan over here!" Spiros shouted.

He did as the Vanguard requested, dragging the rebel leader to the dying automaton operator.

"What is your name?" Spiros asked the dying man.

"Shirley." He croaked.

"Did this man hire you?" our hero asked pointing to Duncan.

"No." Shirley groaned.

"Liar!" Lord Macintosh snarled.

"I can make sure you live to see another day, but I need to know the truth. Who sent you after us?" The Greco snarled.

"a man named Tiberius, after I broke out of prison, he allowed me to become a member of a _special division_ in the Roman Military." He said through clenched teeth.

"What does this 'special division' do?" Lord Macintosh asked.

"We hunt down Atlantian artifacts and reverse engineer their technology, creating experimental weapons that we field test against the Empire's enemies." The dying man explained before his eyes began to close.

"Hey stay with me, we can get you help but you've got to hold on." Spiros told him.

After some difficulties he managed to place the man over his shoulder, carry him to the carriage, and place him inside.

He then turned his attention to the King and the reunited sisters.

The Greco shifted his weight from foot to foot, he didn't want to interfere with their reunion but it was more than likely the rebels we're still after them.

"Fergus, we need to move." He said flatly.

"Aye lad, you're right. It's time we get moving again." The King murmured, slowly releasing his daughters from his bear hug and clambering onto the top of the carriage and grabbing a hold of Angus' reins.

Everyone else clambered into the carriage and soon they were on their way to Fort Ness.

"Seona, where have you been all these years?" Merida asked with a sniffle.

"That night I ran away, I didn't have any real plan. The willow o wisps revealed themselves to me and guided me to a cave." She explained.

"The one that we found your shredded cloak by." Merida murmured.

Her sister nodded before continuing.

"Once I got there, Granny tossed me in a sack and dragged me to the Isle of Skye. There in an abandoned castle that used to belong to Clan Hailstra, she trained me to become a Vanguard."

"She kidnapped you, despite the fact that your parents didn't want either of you to go down that path." Spiros murmured.

"Correct, after I completed my training, I was given my staff. The Lance of Valkyrie. Then I was offered my first mission, go and kidnap my own sister so that she can be made a Vanguard as well." Seona told them.

"Well I'm guessing you failed." Our hero muttered.

"On the contrary, I refused the task outright. Granny got so mad we ended up having a major fight. I ran away, again. Meanwhile the ole girl sent a cursed spirit after you sis, but it looks like he failed."

"Mor'du, that's why he attacked us in the clearing that day, I'm surprised though, it's not like you to defy an adult." Merida told her sister with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Granny likes to train hardcore. It's all about perfection with her." Seona explained.

"What's that supposed to mean, you didn't think I could handle it?" Merida snapped.

"No I didn't mean it like that!" Her sister grumbled.

"Well what _did _you mean?" Our heroine snarled.

"Both of you simmer down." Spiros barked.

The two sisters sighed simultaneously and turned away from each other.

"Apart for years and they're fighting already." He grumbled.

"Women." Wee Dingwall scoffed.

"Seriously." Our hero replied, rolling his eyes.

...

A few hours would pass before our heroes arrived at Fort Ness. By this time, Merida and Seona were talking again. Merida told her sister about how she turned their mom into a bear and the misadventure that followed. Seona told her sister about her adventures in the jungles of the Far East and how she single handily sunk a dozen Roman ships on their way to capture slaves. Spiros commended her for this, saying that he had been trying to halt the process for years by taking a diplomatic approach. Sadly, he hadn't been very successful. He seemed pleased that someone was taking a more _direct_ approach.

When they arrived at the gates of the fort, the guards were jubilant. They were shouting that the King had returned. The gates were opened and the carriage moved into the center of the courtyard where Fergus brought the carriage to a halt. Everyone was crowding around the carriage and cheering. It was quite difficult for our heroes to get out of the carriage with a mob crowding the exit.

Eventually, they managed to disembark. The sons of the Lords (minus Young Macintosh) were scolded by their fathers for running off on a dangerous mission. Fergus Merida and Elinor shared a long embrace. Spiros stood off to the side, awaiting some kind of instruction. He knew Balor was still out there and he was looking for an garrison that contained an army. If he got that army, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.

The Vanguard examined his surroundings; the fort had a simple rectangular wall that wrapped around a group of small stone buildings with old wooden roofs. A large stone building covered in moss rose up from the east side of the fort. The windows on its far side overlooked the lake. He presumed it was where Queen Elinor had been staying, along with others whom would be considered nobles. The fort also had makeshift stables and a large long tent that acted as the dining hall. Tents were also a strong presence in the fort; they outnumbered the proper stone structures 3 to 1. It was clear this place was being used as a makeshift Headquarters.

"Mum!" Seona shouted, pushing her way through the crowd.

"Who is...oh my." The Queen murmured.

The two began closing in on each other.

When the Queen saw her long lost daughter she turned pale and stopped in her tracks.

"Surprise." Seona squeaked.

Elinor surged forward and took her daughter into her arms. Sobbing and running her hand through her hair.

"My baby...you've come back to us." She whispered.

"I missed you Mum."

Fergus and Merida walked over and soon they were engaged in a group hug.

Spiros remained where he was, outside looking in.

He felt a pang of jealousy hit him.

It must of been nice to have a family.

He suppressed the feeling as Young Macintosh walked by and disrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Spiros, I hear that there's a war meeting going on upstairs. It'd probably be in your best interest to attend." Young Macintosh told him.

"I'll be there." Our hero replied as he turned to see Duncan and Shirley being placed and chains and hauled off to the stockades by a group of guards. Spiros remembered what he told Shirley and went off to talk to the guards.

"Excuse me gentlemen but this man needs immediate medical attention." The Vanguard told the guards gesturing to Shirley.

"Isn't he a prisoner?" One of guards asked.

"Yes, but he has agreed to cooperate with me, he has information vital to my mission as a Vanguard. Take him to get fixed up, but that doesn't mean you can't keep an eye on him." Our hero reasoned.

The guard nodded and took Shirley off to a nearby tent.

Spiros then turned around to see The Queen making her way towards him.

He bowed as she got closer.

"Young warrior, It's good to see you're still in one piece." She told him, extending her hand.

He did the same and shook her hand briefly.

"Likewise ma'am." He replied.

"First you propel our clan to victory in the Shadow Seekers competition and now you go out and rescue my husband and my daughter from the clutches of the rebels. What's next?" She asked.

"It wasn't just me. The Lord's sons helped out, Angus deserves a bunch of apples for hauling us away from that place despite his injury. Merida had practically escaped by the time I got there. Then there's Visilis." The Greco told her, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Do not be crestfallen lad, Lord MacGuffin saw your Griffin go down this morning when he was on patrol. We've got search parties scouring the forest. We'll find him." She assured him.

He nodded solemnly, it was clear he was to avoid getting his hopes up.

She then walked off to attend the War Meeting with our hero in tow.

...

When they arrived at the meeting, Lord Dingwall and Lord MacGuffin were in the middle of updating Fergus and Lord Macintosh on how things were panning out across the region. Merida stood by her father while Seona was sitting next to an empty chair. She was rolling a small silver medallion along her knuckles. Spiros took his place at the far end of the table which had a large map in its center. He was directly across from Fergus and Merida. Seona and now Elinor were off to his right while the clan leaders and elders stood off to his left. Young Macintosh, Young MacGuffin and Wee Dingwall were standing directly behind him.

"Rebels have seized several forts in my territory as well as two key armories. One of those armoires contained a significant amount of fortification and siege equipment. I do not know what they plan to do with this equipment, due to the fact that Castle DunBroch is already under their control." Lord Dingwall explained.

"My scout's report that a majority of the rebels are being sent into your territory, Lord Macintosh, they have already began recruiting more warriors from the outlying villages and are marching on Castle Macintosh." Lord MacGuffin told Lord Macintosh.

"What of my own forces, have they tried to stop them?" He asked.

"When the rebels crossed into your territory, the soldiers of outlying villages fell back informing your main army of the crisis. Then your soldiers marched east to meet the rebels. Who attacked them on sight. The battle resulted in eradication of half of your forces. The rest were either retreated or were captured." MacGuffin explained.

"The rebel's behavior seems highly irregular. In the wars I've fought in Gaul, the rebels are usually not the aggressors. They take what they want and then they lock it down. Defending what they fought to get by using guerrilla warfare." Spiros grumbled.

"This is not Gaul boy. These rebels are looking to overthrow King Fergus and replace him with Duncan. They will have all of our heads if they get their way." Lord Dingwall told the boy sternly.

"Based on what I've heard, these people could care less about who wears the crown. They want revenge." Our hero replied before he began speaking to Fergus.

"Merida told me about Duncan's speech. Is it true you conscripted men from the outlying villages to match the strength of the Roman Legions that were invading?"

"Aye." The King replied, he seemed ashamed.

"You had no choice Fergus, we would have been annihilated had you not conscripted those men." Lord MacGuffin reasoned.

"Is it also true that you did not sent aid to the villages effected by the floods of the previous year?" The Greco asked, leaning forward.

"Yes." Fergus murmured.

"I rest my case. The rebels are only fighting because they feel detached from the four clans and abandoned. If they did not have these feelings, Duncan would not have amassed an army."

"You have no idea what kind of sacrifices we have made to preserve this land and these people! If the Romans defeated us that fateful day, they would of torn down Castle DunBroch, thrown children from the battlements, burned down all of our villages and towns and finally salted the lands so that we can never use them again!" Lord Dingwall snarled, drawing his dagger and driving it's blade into the table.

"All the while you have the nerve to criticize Fergus, as well as ourselves." Lord MacGuffin hissed.

"I was not criticizing anyone. I was merely stating the facts. Besides the rebellion is not my primary concern. I'm worried about Balor. We have reason to believe he plans on getting a hold of an army." Spiros replied, glancing at Seona.

"Aye, Grandmother has told us that the last time Balor laid siege to this land, he was searching for the Ancient Garrison. Mor'du stopped him before he could achieve this. Now, the Demon King is back and we can almost guarantee that he is looking to finish his quest." She explained.

"Wait...how do you know your Grandmother?" Elinor asked in a small voice.

Seona sighed and explained where she had been all these years. She told her parents about the fight with Merida and how she had run away and was then kidnapped by her grandmother and trained to be a Vanguard.

By the end of it all, The King and Queen were staring at their eldest daughter with great disappointment in their eyes.

"Jealous of your little sister." Elinor scoffed.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself lass?" Fergus asked.

The Princess shook her head.

Spiros stepped in, trying to get the meeting back on track.

"If you could save the family matter's for later." He murmured.

"The lad has a point." Lord Macintosh grumbled.

"Very well, we will deal with this matter at another time." The Queen replied.

"Now what exactly are you getting at Spiros, what do you purpose we do about the Demon King?" Lord MacGuffin asked.

"We need to head to the Great Library and ensure that Balor does not awaken what is in the Ancient Garrison. If he does, Duncan's promise of a new golden age will almost certainly come true. Except I have a feeling Balor doesn't exactly care for humans." Spiros explained.

"Stop beating around the bush." Lord Dingwall snapped.

"If Balor gets his way and awakens the army that lies dormant in the Ancient Garrison, they will spread across the world like a fire going through the forest. No one will be able to stop their conquest. The death and destruction of this event would empower Balor beyond all imagining, not to mention the fact that the occupants of the garrison would revere him for releasing them." Seona grumbled.

"Are you sure this will happen?" Fergus asked.

"Well...no. We're going off the vision of grandmother." She replied.

"That old bat is crazy. Not only did she kidnap you, it appears she has clouded your mind with lies as well." The King scoffed.

"I agree, we need to focus on fighting the rebellion." Lord MacGuffin said sternly.

"For all we know, Balor is backing the rebellion. If we take out the rebels, that's at least half of his force eliminated. Then we can focus on this _ancient army_ if required." Lord Dingwall reasoned.

"Balor doesn't give a rat's arse about the rebellion!" Merida shouted.

"Merida, watch your mouth!" Elinor snapped.

"You're all blind. This is what Balor wants! He wants us to focus on the rebels so that he can buy time to assemble his real army. Once he does, rebel or loyalist, we're all dead!" The Princess snarled, paying no attention to the outraged looks she was getting.

The room was silent for a brief minute.

Seona and Spiros exchanged worried looks.

"Fergus, your daughter's words have no value in this matter. What we should do is have the children help out around the fort. Building fortifications, or helping cook food for the soldiers. They could even venture out into the wilderness and scout out enemy positions." Lord Dingwall suggested.

"I will not be reduced to a mere spy." Spiros hissed.

"Neither will I, we are Vanguards. We should be taking the fight to our enemy. To our _real _enemy : Balor." Seona added.

"You may be Vanguards, but you are still children. Therefore you will do what you are told." Elinor scolded.

Merida looked to her father, who appeared to be in deep thought. She didn't blame him, no matter what he chose to do, it was going to tick someone off.

"Fergus, mark my words and mark them well." Lord Dingwall hissed, pulling his dagger from the table.

Spiros made his way to the left side of the table, his eyes trained on Dingwall's weapon.

Seona seemed uneasy as well, she already had a hand on her double blades sword.

The guards were beginning to shift uncomfortably.

"If you send our forces after some fairy tale sought by an orphaned boy and your brat of a daughter, and they find nothing while our clans fall, my last act will be finding you and making you pay." Lord Dingwall snarled, pointing his dagger at the King.

Spiros knew a threat when he heard it, he drew his sword and put himself between the King and the Lord. Seona drew her weapon as well and slowly made her way to her father's side.

"Mark _**my**_ words Lord Dingwall. If you so much as lash out with that dagger, you're done." The Greco said with a steely calm tone, putting the point of his blade to the Lord's throat.

"Sheath your weapon boy." He snarled.

"You first." Our hero replied.

The Lord sheathed his dagger. Seconds later, Spiros sheathed his weapon.

"Balor is the real threat, and with or without help, I will stop him." Spiros told the occupants of the room before he turned to leave.

"You'll be all alone then." Lord Dingwall murmured.

"No, he won't." Merida replied.

She then turned to join Spiros. Seona, Wee Dingwall, Young MacGuffin and Young Macintosh followed suit.

After they left, Fergus spoke.

"Have the guards take them into protective custody. Put them all in different rooms and make sure they stay locked up, confiscate their weapons as well and lock them in armory. If they try to escape, recapture but put them in another room but whatever happens they must not leave the fort. It's for their own good."

"I'm guessing you've chosen to focus on the rebels." Lord MacGuffin grumbled.

The King nodded.

...

At first, Spiros did not try to resist when the guards came after him, he had pulled a weapon on Lord Dingwall. He figured that he would be punished for that, but when he realized that he was being imprisoned for their own 'safety' he began to struggle. He was stripped weapons and thrown into a small room with a single bed, the door was closed and locked behind him.

He pounded on the walls for at least twenty minutes , he was so angry he couldn't even harness enough focus to manipulate the elements. It was Merida, calling out to him from next door, that convinced him to settle down.

"Spiros stop, it's no use!" She told him.

He sighed in defeat and plopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a minute before speaking again.

"Seona, can you hear me?" He asked.

There was a loud thump from the ceiling, several bricks fell onto the floor from above.

"Thanks for getting us locked up." She grumbled.

"It wasn't his fault sis, don't start playing the blame game." Merida protested.

"We need to bust out." Spiros told them.

"Let's do it!" Merida exclaimed.

"Um let's not!" Seona hissed.

"Would you rather sit here and wait for doomsday?" Spiros asked her.

"Think of the ramifications, if we bust out it could kill the alliance between Dingwall and DunBroch. That's one more potential threat." Seona chided.

"Dingwall wouldn't isolate himself from the clans with the rebellion going on. There would be a huge risk and little to no gain." Merida argued.

"Seona...we need to stop Balor." Spiros pleaded.

"Come on sis, you need to learn to be a little more reckless." Merida teased.

"Ugh, we're going to be grounded for a decade but...I suppose you two are right. Balor has to be stopped." Seona grumbled.

Spiros sighed, clearly relived.

"Boys, what say you, are you with us?!" Merida exclaimed while Spiros shushed her.

"At your service Princess!" Young Dingwall replied.

Young Macintosh spoke up next:

"I've got your back Spiros, and um Seona...you know I was thinking...if we survive this little adventure...maybe you and I could-"

"Not a chance in hell pretty boy." Seona replied sharply, cutting him off.

"Oh, ouch." Merida whispered.

Spiros chuckled.

"MacGuffin, what about you big guy, I can count on you can't I?" Merida asked.

A quiet string of gibberish replied.

"Translation?" Spiros asked.

"He's in." Merida replied.

"Alright everyone, listen up. Here's what we're gonna do..." Spiros instructed.

...

Everyone followed the plan, they ate a big lunch and went to sleep in the late afternoon. It wasn't till later that evening, when the moon was at its highest point in the sky that our heroes began their escape.

Seona was the first to awaken, she silently made her way to the door and put a hand on each of the iron hinges. She shut her eyes and focused, slowly but surely, the hinges began to feel warm. Within minutes, they were glowing orange puddles on the floor of her cell. She lifted the door with a grunt, moved it into her cell and propped it up against the wall.

She then went to dispatch the single guard who held the keys to the other cells. It was a dark night, a few clouds were in the sky, a weak but chilly breeze was blowing. She made her way to a stone balcony, searching for the guard.

He was down in the courtyard, reading a scroll of some kind. She would need to lure him up here. She began manipulating the winds and with a strong gust sent the scroll flying out of the guard's hands. She then let the scroll flutter in the wind for a brief time before letting it glide back to the ground. She did this for ten minutes, leading the guard through a puddle, up the stairs and into the halls where she would spring her trap. When the guard noticed her door had been removed, he turned to run down stairs and alert his fellow guards. Seona stopped him in his tracks by freezing his feet to the ground. He started to cry out for help but she tackled him to the floor and put him in a headlock. Once he was unconscious, she ran into her room and tore off a piece of cloth from her bed sheets. She used it to gag the guard, just in case he woke up early.

She then took the key ring off his belt and went off to free her sister.

...

Spiros awoke in a cold sweat, he tried to focus on something other than the nightmares but no matter what he did he couldn't forget. He never would.

He had been on patrol with a few of his buddies. They were currently staying in a small village in Gaul. They were dressed in standard Roman military gear, trekking through the forest that surrounded the village.

"Hey Spiros, did you hear about the latest supply caravan?" Remus asked.

"Nope, what about it?" He replied.

"Half of those damn wagons were loaded with coffins. Can you believe that?" His friend explained.

"Sounds like we'll be marching soon." Gratiana murmured.

"Yeah, no kidding." Spiros grumbled.

A series of screams came from nearby.

"Sounds like the villagers are in trouble!" Remus exclaimed.

"Back to the village, double time." Spiros told his friends, sprinting off.

When they got there, several huts were ablaze. Children and women were screaming, embers were floating up into the moonless night sky. Villagers were being dragged out of their homes and killed by...Roman soldiers. Spiros' commander, Tarquinius, was overseeing the massacre. Spiros pulled the crossbow off his back and advanced on his fellow soldiers.

"What's going on here!" He asked.

"We found out these people hide bows and arrows under their beds, and we also found documents that the village leader was trying to keep us from seeing. Our translator said it was a message from the enemy. These people betrayed us and so, they must pay." Tarquinius explained.

"They carry bows because they hunt for a living, and if you don't mind I'd like to see the documents you are talking about before you kill anyone else." Spiros snarled.

"The last time I checked, I didn't take orders from you." The commander hissed.

"I am a Vanguard Tarquinius, and as a vanguard it is my job to ensure that injustice does not occur." Our hero replied.

"Vanguard or not, I am a centurion and what I say around here goes. Now you better start following orders before I am forced to demote you _again_." Tarquinius grumbled.

"Let me see that document, we all know I'm more versed in the native tongue then some pompous nobleman from Rome." The Greco demanded.

"Very well, but once you see that I am right we will proceeded to burn this place to the ground." the Centurion replied, motioning for soldiers to stop the executions. A few minutes later, Spiros was examining the controversial scroll.

After reading it, he felt his heart break. His suspicions had been correct. The translator had misread the document. Tarquinius must of seen the distressed look on his face because he grinned before speaking.

"You see, just as our translator said, these traitors told our enemy of our presence here. They will arrive the day after tomorrow. "

"No, you're wrong. This is a warning, your 'translator' misinterpreted several key statements. This message is from the enemy but they are warning the village leader that he will be destroyed for _helping us! _If you continue killing these people without just cause, then we are no better than them!" Spiros shouted as a child started to cry.

"Are you sure?" Tarquinius asked.

"I'm positive sir. Please stop this madness." Our hero pleaded.

The Centurion thought for a moment before looking to the village leader, who was curled up and whimpering at the man's feet. He then looked a Spiros with a harsh steely gaze.

"Perhaps it is you who has misinterpreted." He snarled, drawing his sword and stabbing the village leader in the neck.

"_**No!**_" The Greco wailed, aiming his crossbow at Tarquinius. His palms were sweaty, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and there was a ringing noise in his ears but he knew it had to be done. He pulled the trigger and shot the Centurion in the chest.

Several soldiers attacked our hero in response. As Tarquinius fell over and expired, Spiros was forced to attack his comrades. He used his shield to shove one of his friend's to the ground, then he turned and used a blast of air to send another crashing through the wall of a hut. It took about five minutes for the soldiers to overwhelm him. It was Gratiana who finally brought him down with a well thrown bolas. They promptly took him into custody and sent him back to Rome for a court marshal.

The Court found that although he acted out of good intention, he still killed his commanding officer, disobeyed orders and injured several of his fellow soldiers. Thereby valuing the lives of foreigners and barbarians more than his fellow Romans. Spiros would reply that he has never valued one person's life more than another and that he was not Roman, but Greek. Needless to say the court didn't take kindly to that comment. As a result he was dishonorably discharged from the Roman Military and the word _proditor _or _traitor _was branded onto his arm.

Ironically, his cursed chain now covered this mark of shame. He honestly didn't know which one was worse. However, the young warrior did not regret what he did in Gaul. He was, for some strange reason, put on this earth to protect people. Although this burden was not always easy to carry, he carried it with a determination to ensure that he did his job well.

He figured it was all he could ask of himself or any other person with a purpose like his.

...

"Spiros!" Merida hissed.

He friend was staring unblinkingly at the foot of his bed. His breathing was subtle and his eyes were wide open and unmoving. He was remaining as still as a statue.

"What's wrong with him?" Young Macintosh asked.

"I'm not sure." She murmured.

Seona then realized something.

"Merida, earlier you were telling me Spiros was in the Roman military. Did he ever go into battle?" She asked.

"He said he fought for the Empire in Gaul. So I would have to say yes." Her elder sister replied.

"Aw great, he must have the same condition that Dad had when we were little." She grumbled.

"What condition?"

Seona raised an eyebrow at her sister before continuing.

"Don't you remember? After the war with the Romans, Dad would wake up in the middle of night screaming and shaking mom, or that one time when he sat and stared at the fire the _entire _night."

"Oh yeah, now I remember. We couldn't get him to move until morning." Merida recalled.

"Yup, Spiros might very well have the same issue. Except we can't wait until morning. We have to go now. MacGuffin pick him up, we need to get moving." Seona instructed.

MacGuffin gently slung Spiros over his shoulder and followed the others out the door.

...

They were halfway down the stairs when Spiros snapped back to reality. His eyes darted around wildly and he began to thrash around and grunt. Young MacGuffin was beginning to have trouble holding him.

"Put him down!" Merida hissed.

The boy did as the Princess asked and set our hero down.

Merida took a knee in front of her friend and gently put one hand over his mouth to keep him from crying out.

"Spiros it's me, calm down. You were in some kind of trance when we came to get you. Young MacGuffin was just carrying you so that we could continue with the plan. I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth now. Please try to stay calm." She told him, taking her hand off of his mouth.

"Fire, Romans, Gaul. Gotta stop Tarquinius." He told her, he was trembling.

"Spiros listen to me, there is no fire and no Romans. You're still in Fort Ness. It was all just a nightmare. Focus on me, you trust me...right?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Do you trust the others?"

He nodded, with slight hesitation.

"Then you are a part of _our_ family now. Where we're going, there is no one we can rely on other then each other. We need to stop Balor and we cannot do that without you."

She took both of his hands into her own with a firm but soft grip in order to cease his trembling.

"You can't let your demons get the better of you. Don't let them control your life. We need you to be that guy who fought the Lindworm. We need you to be that fire that leads us forward..."

Her voice dropped down to a whisper.

"_I_ need you to be there for me."

He looked her in eyes and nodded. She smiled subtly and let go of his hands, getting to her feet.

Wee Dingwall walked over and pulled the Vanguard back onto his feet.

"Let's get to the armory, we have a lot of ground to cover before dawn." Our hero told his friends.

Soon, Seona had melted the hinges of the armory door and our heroes were suiting up. Young Macintosh grabbed his two handed long sword and a supply pack, Wee Dingwall grabbed two axes, a grappling hook and a shield. Seona grabbed her double bladed sword and some throwing knives. Young MacGuffin grabbed his two handed war hammer and a crossbow.

Spiros found his shredded and burned saddle in the armory. The sight made his stomach churn. They had managed to find the saddle, but not his friend. With some difficulty, he pulled out the armor and clothes the Royal Family had given him and put it on. He then grabbed a backpack and filled it with things like his journal, what was left of his food and water, and his spy glass. Finally, Merida grabbed her bow and quiver as well as three or four smaller surplus quivers. She also grabbed a couple of bolases and a short sword. The Princess had managed to change out of her party dress and into a suit of light weight battle armor. Her shoulders, chest, back upper legs and feet were protected by steel armor plating. Chain mail protected her lower legs, arms and neck. Her hands and head were the only part of her body left unprotected.

"Hey Spiros, does this armor make me look fat?" She asked in sarcastic tone.

"Eh maybe a little." He replied jokingly.

She held back a chuckle and playfully slugged him in the shoulder.

The Greco then retrieved his sword, shield, The Spear of Storms, a knife, and finally a crossbow with a quiver full of bolts and two surplus quivers.

"Ok, now we need to book it. Seona and MacGuffin, get the main gate open. Everyone else, we need to get horses." He told his friends.

"So let me guess this straight..." a voice grumbled.

They all turned to see Queen Elinor advancing on them.

"You planned to break out of your rooms, break into the armory and steal weapons and supplies from a fort that is one of our last bastions against the rebels. All so you can go on a wild goose chase?" She asked.

"Ma'am, I have no quarrel with the royal family or the people of this land. However, as a Vanguard it is my job to protect you all against threats that your armies alone can't handle. I'm sorry." Spiros replied.

"King Fergus stated that, in case you did manage to break out, he wanted the best steeds we had resting outside the stables so that he could personally give chase come morning. He also asked that the gate be left partially open, just wide enough for a horse and rider to fit through. So that in the morning, if you had left, the pursuit team could get after you as fast as possible. However, that's only if you had managed to escape. King Fergus and I , would in no way, condone such an action." She told them.

Spiros now noticed that at least six DunBroch guards were watching them from the upper walls, but none of them were taking any action against our band of heroes.

"Is she saying what I think she's saying?" Macintosh asked.

"The King and I wish you all the best of luck. Although, should you ever mention this to the other clan leaders, we will deny it. After you exit this fort, you will no longer be under the protection of any of the clans. You will be named fugitives and will be pursued as such. If you are caught, you will be brought back here in chains." She explained.

"We'll have to avoid going through villages, sleep in the woods, and stay away from the main roads as much as possible. It will be tough, but I think we can manage." Spiros told his friends.

"I've got a map in this supply pack." Macintosh replied.

"I'll look for some cloaks for everyone in the armory." Wee Dingwall told the Greco.

Merida and Seona gave their mom a big hug.

"Thanks mum, we won't let you down." Merida murmured.

"I know dear, I know." The Queen replied, hugging her daughters.

Our hero set off for the stables, when he was stopped by King Fergus. Who had been standing nearby the entire time.

"Lad, be sure to bring both of my daughters back in one piece." He instructed.

"No matter what." The Greco replied with a nod.

"Be sure that _you_ come back as well, for Merida's sake."

"Yes sir."

Minutes later, they were galloping away from the fort at top speed. Merida was riding Angus, Seona was riding her mother's horse and the boys were riding their own personal steeds. Spiros , who had little experience with horses, was riding a young but fast colt. He didn't know his name and was doing his best to think of one. Our heroes rode off into the night, the hooves of their steeds thundering along the muddy road that led to their objective.

...

It was after breakfast when Lord Dingwall confronted Fergus and his wife.

"Two of my guards are in the infirmary, and the young ones are one along with a large amount of weapons and supplies, not to mention the fact that our best horses are gone." He snarled.

"Oh my, this is most troubling. When do you plan on going after them?" Elinor asked.

"I'm having my best warriors ready themselves as we speak." He replied.

"Don't go overboard Dingwall, I want them back unharmed. If you can catch them." Fergus instructed.

"What do you mean _if_?" Dingwall grumbled.

"Those children managed to escape on the first attempt, they are clearly very resourceful and not to be underestimated." The Queen chided.

Dingwall nodded and turned to leave.

"Good luck!" Fergus exclaimed, exchanging a knowing look with his wife before continuing to eat.

...

Young Macintosh, Wee Dingwall and Spiros had volunteered to stay up and keep watch when the group decided to stop and rest. Macintosh and Spiros put on their cloaks and went into town to get some supplies for breakfast. Dingwall would stand guard back at camp.

The duo made their way into the market and did their best to barter with the money they had. Luckily the supply pack Macintosh had grabbed contained just enough money to get them some pretty basic supplies. It wasn't what they were hoping for, but it would suffice.

A commotion nearby grabbed their attention. Spiros heard shouting and went to investigate. While Macintosh followed him uneasily. They stumbled upon a large group of soldiers harassing a family.

"Romans, great." Spiros grumbled.

"We should go." Macintosh hissed.

"Hang on." Our hero instructed.

The soldiers were pulling a pair of young girls, most likely a year or two younger than him, away from their parents. One of the Romans punched the father in the face, causing him to fall back and land on his rear.

"You think these ones will suffice?" One solider asked.

"Yeah, I bet they will. Praetor likes em young." Another replied.

Spiros scowled.

In the crowd of soldiers, Spiros saw a boy with a Murmilo helmet on his head and a trident strapped to his back. Standing next to him was a girl with blonde hair. It was Caelius and his sister, Aeliana.

"Why did you have to call havoc?" He asked his sister.

"The men are out here serving the empire, they need to be able to blow off some steam." She replied.

Spiros snarled as he turned to Macintosh.

"Go back to the camp and get everyone moving, I'll catch up." The Greco instructed.

"No, Spiros it's not worth it. This isn't your fight." He replied.

"Go." Our hero replied as he moved in.

Macintosh groaned before walking off as quickly as he could without making it look like he was in a hurry.

"Solider, stop!" Spiros commanded.

The Roman who was grabbing both girls by the hair released them and closed in on our hero.

"Hey kid, what's going on here isn't any of your business. Scram!" He snarled.

"You have no right to impose your will on this family."

The solider scoffed before replying.

"My commander called havoc, that means that we can whatever we want to these people."

"Romans have no power here."

"Haha your hilarious. Actually we do, we're the most powerful military that has ever existed. Now seriously buzz off before I gut you like a fish." The solider instructed.

Spiros sighed. That was a threat, at this point he had every right to strike.

"I'd like to see you try."

The solider snapped, he drew his sword with a growl but Spiros was quicker with his own sword. With one diagonal slash he dispatched the solider.

"How dare you strike down a solider of the roman army, reveal yourself villainous swine. So that we may see the face of our enemy." Aeliana demanded, drawing her own sword.

Spiros slowly removed the hood to his cloak, he stared right into his opponents eyes. It was eight to one and there were probably more soldiers wandering around nearby.

"Praise Nemesis, she has led our great foe to his demise. Attack, show the traitor no mercy!" Caelius shouted.

The soldiers converged, but Spiros fought accordingly. This wasn't the first time they had managed to goad him into fighting, and it surely wouldn't be the last.

One solider lashed out with a spear, but Spiros cut the weapon in two with his sword and kicked the spear tip into the chest of another solider. He then attacked the soldier who had originally attacked with the spear. He knocked him unconscious with swing of his shield, which connected with the man's jaw. Another solider fired a crossbow at him, but the Greco sidestepped the shot and watched as it hit another roman in the knee.

The other soldiers refused to attack, much to Aeliana's dismay.

"Cowards, stand and fight!" She demanded.

Caelius charged into battle, Spiros quickly readied his shield as his former roommate jumped up and tried to impale him with his trident. Luckily, our hero's shield blocked the attack. Spiros swung at his old friend with his shield, but his Roman foe sent him stumbling backwards with a uppercut to the chin.

"You killed my mother, I should crucify you myself!" Caelius shouted.

Spiros spat out some blood and scowled.

"It was a set up, I told you people someone was playing us!"

"Liar!" The Roman hissed, lashing out with his trident.

Spiros dodged the slash and kicked his opponent in the knee, forcing him to drop to the ground. The Greco then tackled him to the ground, knocking his trident away. He then grabbed his foe by the tunic and stunned him with a head butt.

"Caelius, listen I'm not a traitor. Ignore the lies your father has been shoving down his throat all these years. Think about it, I would only attack someone in Rome if I had actionable information from my informant. The night of the accident, I went back to his place to find out what was going on. He told me that the info was given to him by a spy in the Roman government. He was about to tell me who it was when the city guards busted in and killed him!"

"What does that prove!?" Caelius hissed.

"Only a handful of people knew who my informant was, it had to be someone close to your father or your family. Someone wanted your mother dead!"

"You dog, stop lying to him!" Aeliana hissed, tackling Spiros off of her brother. In the tumble, she managed to stab our hero in the shoulder with her gladius.

"How could you do this to us? We took you in, we molded you into a exemplary warrior. You were given the best education, the best training! We were brothers!" Caelius screamed.

"If you were my real brother, you would believe me." Spiros said through clenched teeth as Aeliana held her sword to his throat.

"No one would betray my family. We are one of the most powerful and respected people in Rome!" Caelius replied.

"The more power you have, the more people want your head. Trust me, I know!" Spiros reasoned.

"Silence!" Aeliana demanded, motioning for a solider to bring her some chains to restrain her prisoner.

"I do not trust you." Caelius scoffed.

"Then you are no brother of mine, for they are buried in a unmarked grave atop a hill that overlooks the sea!" Spiros snarled.

"I said shut up! Now, you're going to be chained up so we can bring you back to my father." Aeliana hissed, slapping our hero.

"Not today!" Merida shouted from a distance.

An arrow sailed in from out of nowhere and struck Aeliana in the shoulder blade. She cried out in agony, Spiros took advantage of this and shoved her off him. He then turned his attention to Caelius who was making one last attempt to skewer the Greco with his trident. Spiros dodged the stab and cut the trident in two and then delivered a slice across the chest, wounding his adversary.

Our hero just shook his head at Caelius as Merida galloped up.

"Spiros!" She shouted.

He turned to see her extending her hand as she rode by. He grabbed her hand and, after some difficulty she managed to pull him onto the saddle. The duo rode off with a dozen soldiers in hot pursuit.

Caelius looked at his broken trident and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest due. He crawled over to his sister and began to tend to her wounds, but she instead of being grateful she grabbed him by the throat.

"Forget about me, you're letting them get away." She hissed.

...

"That is the last time we send you to the market!" Seona growled as a spear sailed passes them.

"They were threatening a family, what would you have done?" Spiros asked.

"Walked away." She replied.

"Well what if you were one of those girls, what would you want someone like a vanguard to do?" He snarled.

She didn't answer.

"Duck!" Merida shouted as Spiros was smacked by a low hanging tree branch.

"Next time tell me before I get hit by the branch!" He told her as he was smacked by yet another branch.

The Princess gave him an innocent look.

"Oops." She said with a mischievous grin.

The Greco rolled his eyes as the group thundered down the road, leaving the foot soldiers in the dust.

...

Our heroes were soon deterred by a rainstorm, which began flooding parts of the road. They decided to let the storm pass while they had a very late breakfast within a cave. Seona managed to start a fire and soon the food was cooking via spit roast. The group got some much deserved down time.

Young Macintosh and Wee Dingwall were napping, Young MacGuffin was standing guard at the cave's entrance with his war hammer at the ready. Seona was keeping an eye on the food and finally Spiros and Merida were cuddled up next to the fire. They weren't exactly cuddling but they were close enough to hold hands without the others realizing it, or so they thought.

"So Seona, where have your travels taken you?" Spiros asked.

"Well there is this continent out in far west. As far as I know, the only people who know about it are Vanguards." She replied.

"Really, I've never heard of it." He grumbled.

"Well you _have _been on the run from the roman military. That's probably why." Merida reasoned.

"True." Spiros said with a nod.

"Well anyways, it seems like a nice place. It's probably gonna be awhile before any non-vanguard goes over there and discovers it. Even then it's probably gonna be an accident or something." Seona continued.

"That would be something." Spiros said with a chuckle.

"The guy will probably get a special day named after him or something." Seona grumbled.

Young MacGuffin shouted out some nonsense in response.

"What did he say?" Spiros asked.

"He said the person who discovers it could be a women." Merida informed them.

Seona shook her head.

"It's gonna be a guy."

"Probably." Spiros said with a nod.

Merida blew her bangs out of her face and rolled her eyes.

"Is the food ready yet?" She asked.

"Yup, Spiros have you ever had a kebab before?" Seona asked.

"Once, at a village along the Eastern trade routes." He replied.

"Perfect, I hope you liked em, because that's what we're eating." She said handing out the kebabs.

"Lads, wake up! Food is ready!" Merida shouted.

The two boys were soon awake an eating. Outside the storm was getting worse and Spiros managed to get Young MacGuffin to sit by the fire with everyone else. He assured his friend that the flooding caused by storm would cover their tracks.

"So if we're all one big family now, I suppose we'll have to get to know each other." Spiros suggested.

"Well I know that MacGuffin's first name is Gregor." Merida began.

"Yeah and I think Macintosh's first name is Vailean." Wee Dingwall added.

"Yup, that's my name." Macintosh replied before continuing the conversation.

"Dingwall's name is Eoghan if I'm not mistaken."

"Sounds funny." Merida said with a snort.

"Sis!" Seona chided.

"It does!" She protested.

"It's fine Seona, I know it sounds funny. However, it is better than _Wee_." Dingwall said with a chuckle.

MacGuffin spoke some more gibberish, pointing to Seona and then to Merida.

"Yes Gregor, unfortunately she is my sister." Merida replied.

"How can you understand him?" Spiros asked.

"I don't know, how can you people not understand him?" She replied with a shrug.

"Touché." Seona murmured.

"You should get some sleep Spiros, you look tired." Vailean suggested.

"Yeah he's right, how many hours of sleep did you get before the escape?" Merida asked.

"Nightmares kept me up." He replied.

"You should get some shut eye, you're going to need it. Besides this storm isn't going to pass anytime soon." She suggested.

"Ugh, but what if something happens." He groaned.

"I'm a big girl Spiros, I was able to take care of myself before you showed up. Now lay down and go to sleep." She told him like he was a child.

"Fine, I'll lay down. I'm not going to fall asleep though." He grumbled as he put his head down on his cloak.

A few minutes passed, Merida held back a laugh as her friend began to snore.

"Yup, he's out." She declared.

_**A.N- No excuses guys, but I'm sorry this update took so long. I'm going to try and cut down on length to try and get these updates out faster. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to reading your feedback and reviews!**_

_**Wolf out!**_

_**P.S- You may thank Sushie-chan for our new TV style into. I hope it made reading this after such a long time since an update an easier task. Also thanks to Lady Cougar-Trombone for suggesting the names Vailean and Eoghan. Good work!**_


	9. Dusk

Last time on The Stones of Fate…

Spiros has a talk with a man named Shirley who reveals that a segment of the Roman Military is illegally experimenting with Atlantian technology and making automatons: immensely powerful and complex machines of war. Afterwards, a war meeting goes awry when Spiros and his friends argue that Balor is a bigger threat then the rebellion. Subsequently, they are imprisoned for their own 'safety'. Our heroes manage to escape that night, with the secret blessing of Queen Elinor and King Fergus. They set off to stop Balor from amassing his army. However, the Romans are in the highlands and Lord Dingwall is in hot pursuit,

and now...

_**Chapter 9**_

_**Dusk**_

Spiros awoke with a yawn and stretched his arms; he quickly realized he was on Angus' back when he started to lose his balance. His eyes bugged out as he flailed his arms around in a desperate effort to keep himself on the horse. He quickly wrapped his arms around Merida's waist, causing her to yelp.

"Oi! Good mornin'." She said with a chuckle.

"Where are we?" Spiros asked, trying to take in his surroundings.

"Well we spent the night in that cave you fell asleep in, got up, loaded you onto the saddle and got on the road again. We passed through a town a few minutes ago and we should be coming up on our destination by day's end." She explained.

"How have I managed to stay on the horse this entire time?" He asked.

"You've been resting you're head on my back, and Seona is behind us. When you started falling off, she rightened you." She replied.

"Ahem!" Seona grumbled.

"You might want to let go of me, before she stabs you." Merida grumbled.

"Oh right...sorry." Our hero murmured, returning his arms to his sides before taking a second look at his surroundings. To his left was a narrow lake, the early morning light reflecting off of the water, making it look as if the lake was filled with shimmering fire. To his left were a series of high rolling hills, a small heard of deer were watching them from the top of the biggest hill. Past those hills, the stars could still be seen far off in the western sky.

He had always wondered what those stars were, why were they called stars? What were they made out of? Fire? Silver? Gold? Was there someone who was asking the same questions? Were they off on a quest to save their home?

_Home_

Surely he couldn't call this land his home. His home was in Greece. All that remained was a pile of rotting wood and dusty bones. Could he truly have a home again? Even though he wasn't native to this land of northern soil. What was stopping him from having a home anyway? There was nothing that said he couldn't. Perhaps it was the fear. The fear that this place ,where his heart felt most secure and at peace, would fall because if the evils that would pursue him.

He narrowed his eyebrows in determination.

No.

Whatever he called this place, he would not allow it to fall to the forces of darkness. It would be a never ending siege but it was one that he was willing to endure. A cool morning breeze ruffled his hair. He inhaled deeply before continuing to admire the surrounding landscape. Meanwhile, his chain loosened itself just a bit.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Merida asked.

He snapped out of his thoughts and nodded after a slight delay.

"Welcome to the Isle of Skye." She told her friend with a grin.

"You see those rock formations, on the slope of that mountain that's just over there?" She asked pointing to the horizon.

He squinted before replying.

"Yeah...I see em."

"That's the Sanctuary, and the biggest rock is called The Old Man of Storr. That's the place we're heading to."

"We're almost there." The Greco said with a grin.

She nodded.

"Hey, the others are stopping for a bathroom break so if you guys want to get off and stretch your legs, now is the time." Seona told them.

Merida promptly had Angus pull off the muddy road and onto a patch of grass where they could have breakfast while he grazed. The duo hopped off and promptly set up the makeshift dining area. Spiros laid out a blanket that he got from Seona's backpack while Merida took the biscuits and jam from her own backpack. While Merida and Spiros made prepared the meal, Seona took the saddles off the horses and placed them side by side next to the eating area. Shortly thereafter, the others returned from their bathroom break and sat down to eat.

The sun was now just barely creeping into the sky, it was still very early though. Spiros was a little surprised, they were actually making decent time. He felt something poke him in the neck. He looked around, but no one was acting abnormally. He continued to eat when he felt the poke once again. He looked over to see Merida looking at the rising sun. He finished his breakfast and stood up.

" I'm gonna go for a walk around these hills, we should probably leave in about an hour." He suggested.

" Good idea that will give the horses some down time." Seona replied.

"A bath sounds nice." Young Macintosh murmured, looking over at the lake.

"Vailean, that water is probably freezing. Going for a dip in there is probably going to get you sick." Seona grumbled.

"Well...I don't tell you how to live your life." He replied.

"Do whatever you want pretty boy, but don't come asking me for herbal tea when slime is pouring out of your nose." She chided, standing up to leave.

"Sis, where are you going?" Merida asked.

"I'm not gonna sit here and watch them swim around!" She replied.

Merida quickly understood.

"Heh, um I get it now. I'm gonna go with Spiros in his walk. Where will you be?"

"Scouting ahead."

Merida turned to see Spiros taking off his shirt.

"Are you going for a dip too?" She asked.

"No, I'm gonna take this armor off." He replied, doing exactly what he said before putting his shirt back on.

"Ok, let's go for a stroll." He said with a slight grin.

The duo were walking through a field a tall grass when once again, Merida poked Spiros in, this time, in the side of his ribs. She tried to contain her giggles when he gave her _the look_.

"Ok that's it." He told her.

She yelped as he picked her up and spun her around.

The duo fell into the tall grass and began to wrestle, but Merida managed to get the upper hand when she sat down on top of our hero and began to tickle his sides.

"Not fair!" He exclaimed.

"Surrender!" She demanded playfully.

"Hahaha, O-ok, ok you win!" He gasped.

She nodded , feeling accomplished and got off of him and laid down on her side. While he remained on his back, trying to recover from the attack. Both of them were still chuckling.

"So...you ready to take on Balor?" She asked, suddenly turning the carefree atmosphere serious.

"I hope so." He mumbled.

"Hey, you won't be alone like you have been all your life. You'll have us to back you up. That scumbag won't know what hit him." She assured him.

"Are you scared?" He asked her.

"A little." She replied.

"Me too."

"Spiros!" Seona shouted from the distance.

He got up to see her standing atop a mound of dirt.

"You might want to come look at this!" She told him.

The Greco pulled Merida to her feet and then set off to investigate.

...

They arrived at a giant crash site. Burnt feathers created a trail that led to a giant impact crater. Then another trail of tracks led away from the site and back onto the main road. It looked as if Visilis had crashed here and then was dragged/led away from the crash site.

"Where is the nearest village?" Spiros asked.

" A place called Trotternish. It's not very far from here." Merida replied.

"We should get moving." Seona suggested.

"Hey guys!" Spiros shouted.

There was a delay before Young MacGuffin replied in his usual gibberish.

Spiros assumed he said '_what'_ and responded:

"We're leaving!"

"We just got in!" Dingwall protested.

"Well get out, we've got a lot of ground to cover!" Seona snapped.

Soon Spiros was back on his horse and, with his allies behind him, they were speeding towards Trotternish with hope that their feathered friend would be there.

...

They arrived in to find Trotternish under siege.

Guards were rushing out of the fort with crossbows and longbows strapped to their backs. Other guards were manning the single catapult the fort had and the three ballistas and unleashed hell on their foes.

Our heroes brought their horses to a stop and dismounted, drawing their weapons.

"If they cross the bridge, we are all gonna die! Fight! Fight for your lives!" The Captain of the Guard shouted.

"Hey!" Merida shouted, walking up to him.

He turned as a small building behind him burst into flames.

"Princess Merida, my lady, what are you doing here?" He asked while kneeling.

"Forget the formalities sir, what's going on?" She asked.

"These _demons_ came charging from The Storr. Their armor is made of something that I've never seen before. Most of our arrows either bounce off their armor. The arrows that do punch through just tick them off. It takes at least two ballista bolts just to kill one of em!" He shouted as a ball of fire streaked in from the north and destroyed a ballista emplacement.

Spiros suddenly felt ill.

"We're too late." He murmured.

" We believe a Griffin crashed near here, do you know anything about that?" Seona asked.

"Yes, he's in the stables. It took awhile to get him to trust us but eventually he allowed our doctor to bandage his wing." The guard replied.

"He is my mount, thank you for helping him." Spiros told the man.

"Incoming!" A guard shouted as a giant crystal spear flew impaled itself the catapult. Tiny bolts of red lighting shot off of the crystal before it exploded in a flash of light. The men that had been operating the machine were now nothing but charred skeletons and the catapult itself was on fire.

"Nothing is stopping them now." The man said somberly.

"I beg to differ. Macintosh, MacGuffin follow me, let's go!" Seona shouted charging into battle.

"Let's go see Visilis, then we can help my sister." Merida suggested.

Spiros nodded and with Merida and Dingwall in tow, they set off for the stables.

...

Seona resisted the urge to gawk at her foes.

They were clad in dark grey armor comprised of interlocking steel plates that gave the suit a smooth streamlined look, only their mouths' were exposed . Singular red veins of what appears to be lave ran up the arms, legs and back of the creatures. The veins in the arm ran up to the shoulder and created the last symbol of the Greek alphabet.

The Omega.

The veins on the legs and back converged to create the same symbol of the chest. They had four red slits where their eyes should have been and another Omega symbol was engraved into the crest of their helmets. In their right hands were curved black swords. Blood red flames danced off the edges of the blade. In their left hand were weapons that looked light crossbows. Except when fired they shot out three crystals simultaneously in a horizontal line.

Those were the common soldiers, the officers had helmets that were golden and were shaped like an omega and their armor was made of polished silver. Instead of red lava in their armor veins, it was molten gold. They had elongated crossbows that shot bolts of lighting and they were even tougher to kill.

When the creatures roared, they revealed their two rows of serrated teeth and their thin black snake like tongue along with a pair of six inch fangs. They walked with a slight hunch, as if they were stalking an animal. Their feet were Y shaped and they only had three fingers, as opposed to five and even in their slouched posture they stood about seven feet tall.

Seona charged one of them and sliced it across the chest with her double bladed sword. The beast shrugged off the blow and swung at her with its own sword. She ducked and tried to drive her sword through its gut. Once again her blade practically bounced off the creature's armor as if it were a toy.

She made two more quick slices but there was still no effect, her adversary sliced at her again and missed by just an inch.

MacGuffin charged in and took a golf swing at the beast's leg. The creature snarled as the axe partially cut into its leg. It hobbled to face Gregor and roared. The young man responded by swinging his axe again, this time at the beasts head. In reposes it ducked and punched him in the gut, sending him staggering backwards into another Omegasevrian, he was smacked aside by the advancing officer.

...

"Visilis!" Spiros shouted, hugging his friend's head.

The Griffin cooed and nuzzled him. The Griffin was still covered in bandages, the crash had really done a number on him.

"We don't have time for much of a reunion buddy...we failed. The Omegasevrians are tearing this town apart." The Greco said somberly.

The Griffin growled.

"You know where you crashed?" Our hero asked.

Visilis nodded.

"I need you to take as many people as you can to that place, because if they don't get out of dodge. They're doomed."

The Griffin nodded.

"I'll tell the Captain of the Guard about this, you two should get to the front lines." Dingwall suggested.

Merida and Spiros nodded, heading off to fight.

...

Young Macintosh continued to back pedal as the Omegasevrians continued to advance. He was using a crossbow he had picked up from a fallen guard to shoot at an officer that was advancing on him. Four crossbow bolts were protruding from the creature's chest, but it didn't seem to care about that. Vailean shot his last bolt into the creatures head, it snarled and charged him. He drew his sword and swung it at the officer's head, partially cutting through its armor. The beast wailed as orange blood spurted from its neck. Macintosh yelled and shoved the creature away before decapitating it with a second strike.

Then from the rooftop of a house to his left, another Omegasevrian jumped down and tried to stab him. He rolled backwards narrowly avoiding the attack. He scooted away from the beast as it advanced on him, just as it raised its sword to strike a pair of arrows sailed into its chest. One arrow bounced off but the other managed to punch through. Then an electrified spear was driven through the creature's gut. Spiros snarled and smacked his foe's head with the edge of his shield. He then pulled his spear out of the creatures gut and stabbed it again. Finally it fell over and died.

"Macintosh get off your butt!" Merida shouted as she ran past him.

"Yaaaahhh!" One village guard shouted as he charged into battle, reading his crossbow to fire. He fired only to be impaled by a pair of orange crystals. He screamed in agony and fell over, dragging himself behind an overturned wagon to shelter himself from more enemy fire.

Two of his fellow guards rushed to his aid, when they tried to pull the crystals from his chest they quickly turned black and exploded, sending tiny bits of razor sharp shrapnel flying through the air in every direction. All of them were now dead.

"How many more are there?" Seona shouted.

"At least a few dozen, maybe more!" One guard wailed as he stuck his body out from behind a crate to fire his crossbow only to be incinerated by a bolt of lightning.

"Set up a line of fire!" Merida shouted, trying to organize the scrambled and terrified defenders.

Spiros was forced to analyze the battlefield, trying to find a way to turn the tables on his enemy. The village was split in two. The southern section of the village contained the fort, the Inn, and the stables along with about seven houses. All of which were on fire. The fort was small, it was a stone building with a small iron gate for an entrance on the western wall. Outside the northern wall, were the two remaining ballista emplacements. They had a clean line of sight that over looked the northern section of the village, which was separated from the southern segment by the bridge that crossed over the raging river rapids. The northern segment of the village was significantly bigger than the southern area. There were mostly houses here, aside from the blacksmith, the now destroyed market and Royal Embassy, where Merida and her family would stay if they ever came to visit.

The Omegasevrians were advancing on them from the north, coming down the hill that The Storr was located on. This gave their ranged fighters a distinct advantage over the people who were now fighting at the base of the hill, because they could fire down on them. The ballista emplacements, although powerful, we're too few in number to be a game changer. Spiros knew what this meant, they would not be fighting to control the area or completely destroy enemy forces. Instead they would have to buy time for the civilians to evacuate while waging a war of attrition on their attackers, killing as many of them as they can so that, in an attempt to conserve his forces, Balor would be forced to have them withdraw and thus give Spiros some breathing room so that he could plan his next move.

"Merida, hang back here, injure as many of them as you can!" Our hero instructed.

She nodded and continued firing.

"Seona, I'm letting you off the chain. Fire, lighting, water. Whatever you can dish out, do so. Hit em hard."

The Vanguard ran off, but not before electrifying her blade.

"Fellas, fight your way up the street. Get people out of their houses, across the bridge and get them out of here. Give them our horses so that they can pull wagons or load up to six people onto Visilis. He knows where to go."

The three boys nodded and split up. Spiros then turned his attention to an approaching Omegasevrian Officer. He charged the creature and locked blades with him. A ballista bolt sailed past him and skewered an Omegasevrian solider that was attempting to join the fight. The solider was carrying along metal rod with a distorted crystal formation at the end. Before dying, the solider chopped off the back half of the rod and lit the forward section ablaze with his sword. The crystal formation shot off the rod and sailed wildly through the air, it crashed just a few feet away from the ballista emplacement with a thunderous explosion. The blast overturned the weapon and rendered it ineffective for the time being.

...

Wee Dingwall kicked the door to a burning house down to find two little girls hiding in the corner, next to a pile flaming wood.

"Mama." The smallest child wailed. Dingwall noticed the body of a women pinned beneath the pile of wood. He suddenly felt queasy.

"Girls, girls. Come with me please." He pleaded.

The eldest girl shook her head.

"I need to get you both to come with me, I'm gonna get you out of here." He explained.

"Who are you?" The eldest girl asked.

"My name is Eoghan, I'm from Clan Dingwall."

"There's monsters outside." The littlest girl whimpered.

"My friends and I will make them go away, I promise." He told her, walking towards them.

They shuffled over to him, flinching every time they heard a scream or an explosion. Slowly but surely they made their way to the front door where he stopped them.

"Ok girls, we're gonna have to run-"

"What if I'm not fast enough!"

"You will be, nothing's gonna happen to you. I won't let the monsters get near you but you're gonna have to run as fast as you can, ok?"

The girls nodded as mangled chunk of crystals flew down and destroyed the house across the street. They screamed as crystal fragments whizzed by the front door.

"Spiros, Merida, cover us!" He shouted as they bolted out from the door way.

The Greco drove his sword into the officer's gut for a sixth time, dispatching him. He then sprinted to his friend's aid. He put up his shield and back pedaled, keeping any projectiles from hitting Eoghan or the girls he was escorting.

A large crystal spear slammed into the vanguard's shield with such a force that it knocked him to the ground. He groaned and yanked the spear out his shield, throwing it into the crowd of advancing foes.

Merida had gone through two and a half quivers of arrows and had only killed six Omegasevrians. Eoghan and two little girls ran past her with Gregor in tow, who had two injured guards slung over his shoulders and a mother and her infant directly behind him.

"Do NOT give them one inch of ground without a belly full of Highland Steel!" Macintosh shouted, cutting off the leg of an Omegasevrian solider and then stabbing him in the back once he collapsed.

"Vailean, behind you!" Seona shouted from across the battlefield.

He turned to see an officer charging at him with his sword ready to strike, but a village guard intercepted the beast, jumping on him and trying to pull him to the ground. The creature merely snorted and plucked the guard off of his body like he was a leech and threw him into a pile of burning lumber.

Then the officer shrieked as a ballista bolt impaled him in the side. Vailean turned to see Wee Dingwall manning the ballista after a member of the crew had been killed by stray fire.

The two little girls he had escorted across the bridge were now in line for evacuation, there were about 30 people waiting for a ride out of the village. Luckily the guards were prioritizing mothers, children, and the elderly by putting them on Visilis. The Griffin was taking off and landing every few minutes, the other evacuees were being loaded onto wagons and carriages.

Meanwhile, our heroes were struggling to hold the line as casualties were beginning to mount. There were only a handful of guards left and now the Omegasevrians were attacking from the north as well as the east. One of the guards informed Spiros that there was a bridge about a mile down river that was completely unguarded. The Vanguard sighed.

Why were they barely telling him this now?

Their foes were continuing to advance, our heroes were now setting up a last line of defense in order to hold the bridge. There was still a dozen people left to be evacuated. MacGuffin shouted out something and prepared to fight his axe.

"Gregor's out of crossbow bolts!" Merida yelped.

The young man jumped out from behind a pile of lumber and went on the attack. He charged an Omegasevrian and took a swing at him. The creature ducked and avoided the blow, it sliced Gregor across the chest, leaving a burn and an open wound where the edge of the blade had struck him. Gregor scowled and punched his foe in the head, sending him reeling. The beast roared at him and charged, tackling him and pulling an obsidian knife from its sheath which was strapped to right his shoulder. Gregor punched his foe in the head once more but it hardly phased him. The creature raised his knife and prepared to strike when an arrow sailed into his hand, causing him to drop the knife. Gregor got a hold of the weapon and stabbed his foe in the chest before shoving the creature into the raging river.

"These guys are kicking our butts!" Seona shouted as she recovered from a punch to the gut from an Omegasevrian officer. Spiros charges into assist, driving his sword into the creature's back and then drawing his crossbow and putting a bolt in the back of his foe's leg. The officer screeched in agony, spun around and swung his sword at the Greco. The tip of blade cut him just below the left eye.

Our hero was sent reeling as he tried to cope with the stinging of the cut and the agony of his skin being burnt. The officer got up only to find Seona jumping onto his back. She dropped her double bladed sword and drew two small throwing knives, driving them both into the back of the creature's neck. The officer exhaled and collapsed, dead.

Another officer who was just coming down the hill let out a series of screeches, the small army began to withdraw.

"They're retreating, advance lads!" The Captain of the Guard shouted.

About half a dozen guards surged forward, drawing their swords and giving chase to their foes. They made it to the edge of town before they were killed by the incoming reinforcements.

"Gargoyle!" Seona shouted.

The creature was at least 15 feet tall, it's tan skin appeared to be leathery, rusted steel armor protected its shoulders, wings, tail, chest, belly and knees. Instead of eyes, it had gill like slits that flared open on occasion. Its head was similar to that of a dog with mange, pointed ears, large fangs and dagger like teeth, elongated snout and patches of moss here and there. It's legs and tail we're reptilian while it's arms and torso were humanoid. Small metal pipes ran down its back, which were pumping out puffs of foul smelling black smoke every now and then. The creature had an iron grate over the hole in the center of its chest, inside that hole was a blazing fire. The Gargoyles wings were incredibly bat like, but were riddled with holes and tears. The beast lumbered down the street with a bit of a limp, the only limb that wasn't helping it walk was the left arm, which held a bloody halberd.

"Fall back!" The Captain of the Guard shouted, leading his forces across the bridge. Our heroes followed suit.

"Aim for the head!" Macintosh told Dingwall as he sprinted across the bridge.

The crew of the ballista promptly began firing at the creatures head, but it didn't appear to have much of an effect. The bolts either missed or shattered on impact. One lucky shot managed to hit the eye slit, causing the creature to roar and shoot flames from its mouth. It then dropped its halberd and pulled an obsidian spear from its back. The creature threw the spear with a growl and then picked up his halberd and continued his advance.

"Run!" Seona told Eoghan, who scrambled away with his crew from the ballista as the spear took it out.

"We're in serious trouble!" Macintosh grumbled.

"We've gotta take out the bridge, and keep him from crossing the river!" Spiros shouted.

"Good idea, Seona get a boulder ready!" Dingwall shouted.

"HELP!" a woman cried.

"There's still someone over there!" Merida said, pointing to a woman who was covered in soot stumbling out of a house. The Omegasevrians were now rushing down the hill, eager to wipe our heroes out.

"We have to help her!" Eoghan said, getting ready to sprint off.

"I'll go with you, come on!" Spiros told him.

The duo set sprinted off across the bridge.

"Coveting fire lads, make every shot count!" Macintosh shouted.

"Princess pass me some arrows!" A guard shouted.

Merida promptly gave him a handful of arrows. She was down to half a quiver.

"I'm out of bolts!" a guard shouted, throwing his crossbow to the ground in frustration.

"Same!" another hissed.

"Gregor, go to the fort and grab as many bolts and arrows as you can!" Seona instructed, picking up a crossbow from a dead guard.

He rushed off to do as instructed.

...

"Ma'am, we're gonna get you out of here." Dingwall told the woman as they reached her.

"GARAGHHH!" The Gargoyle snarled, swinging his halberd at Spiros who had just shot another crossbow bolt into the beast's head.

"My legs broken." The women wailed.

"I'll carry you, Spiros let's get the hell out of here!" He assured her, taking the women into his arms.

"Right behind you brother!" The Greco replied, sprinting away from the Gargoyle.

The duo made their way to the bridge as crystal, bolts and arrows whizzed by them. Occasionally, Spiros would stop, spin around and fire a bolt into the crowd of advancing Omegasevrians. He did this for a final time when they reached the bridge.

"Get her across, I'll be right behind you!" The Greco ordered.

The Gargoyle and the Omegasevrian army was now very close the bridge.

Dingwall got the woman across the bridge and handed her off to the guards who loaded her onto Visilis. The Griffin flew off with the last flight of evacuees.

"Civvies are out of the village, let's get out of here!" The Captain of the Guard shouted.

"Spiros get over here so I can destroy the bridge!" Seona screamed.

"They're closing in!" Merida shouted.

Spiros fired one last bolt into an officer's brain before turning and running across the bridge. When he was halfway across, an obsidian arrow struck him in the back of the leg. The Greco dropped to the ground.

"SPIROS!" Dingwall shouted, running out to help him.

"They're on the bridge!" A guard yelped.

Eoghan helped Spiros to his feet and led him across the bridge.

"I got you brother." He assured him.

"Thanks." He replied.

"They're almost halfway across!" Merida shouted.

She noticed a hooded archer perched in a tree across the bridge. He was taking aim at Dingwall and Spiros. She promptly readied an arrow and fired.

The arrow sailed through the air and...missed.

Completely.

The hooded archer let his own arrow fly, it implied itself in Eoghan's back. He shouted in pain but continued forward. They were almost there, but so was the Gargoyle.

"Spiros." He groaned.

"What?"

"Make sure you take care of Merida, I wouldn't want to lose her to anybody...except you." He said, shoving Spiros to the end of the bridge, turning and facing the Gargoyle which was just passing the halfway mark on the bridge.

"Eoghan run!" Vailean shouted.

"Seona, destroy the bridge!" He replied.

"Don't!" Merida pleaded, reaching into her quiver for another arrow only to find that her supply was spent.

The Omegasevrians were sprinting across the bridge, by the time the injured young man got across the bridge they would be across as well.

"I have to!" Seona shouted, pulling up a boulder from the earth.

"No don't, Macintosh get out there and help him!" Spiros ordered.

The Omegasevrians were about to cut Eoghan down with their swords, they only had seconds now.

"SEONA!" He shouted.

She shut her eyes and sent the boulder flying, the bridge and all those on it were sent flying as the hunk of earth tore through the structure. Wood and bodies fell into the river below, along with the Gargoyle who shrieked as the current carried him downstream.

Seona dropped to her knees and screamed.

Spiros shut his eyes tight and directed his gaze to the ground.

Vailean dropped to one knee and drove his sword into the ground. He stared down at the ground with a vicious scowl.

Gregor's shoulders sagged, he bit his lip as it began to quiver.

Merida dropped to her knees, shock made her limbs go numb and she began to cry.

...

The funeral wasn't much.

The Captain of the Guard, whose name was Aaron, gave Eoghan his final rites. The makeshift grave site was just a pile of rocks with a few flowers atop it.

Spiros decided to say a few words.

"Eoghan Dingwall was a brave man. He saved two children and their mother from an unrelenting onslaught of death and destruction that had invaded their home. It is with a heavy heart that we say good bye to him today. I hope that his final act of courage and valor is one that we can all be proud of. It takes true bravery to sacrifice one's self for the well being of those that he cares for. His death will not discourage us, no it will spur us to ensure that all men, women and children in this land and across all lands will know

bread, peace, and justice."

The others nodded in agreement.

The service concluded shortly thereafter.

...

While the others scavenged for supplies, Spiros went to pay his respects. He took a single feather from Visilis and placed it standing up on the grave.

"Clear skies and fair tailwinds, my friend. Thank you." He murmured before going off to see Merida.

He found her sitting under a tree, sobbing.

He didn't say a word, he just sat down next to her and held her as she cried.

"I'm sorry." He told her.

"Ten years I knew that lad. Ten years and yet in the blink of an eye, he's gone." She whimpered.

"It happens sometimes, as sad as it maybe. It's just a part of life." He told her.

"I-I could of saved him, b-b-but I missed. Now he-he's gone." She told him.

"Don't blame yourself, it could of happened to anyone of us." He reminded her.

"I-It is my f-fault DAMNIT!" She shouted.

"No it's not, you cannot torture yourself like that. Trust me, I've been there." He chided.

"I k-k-know I said I was scared before b-but now...I'm terrified. Who else are w-we going to lose?" She asked.

Our hero pulled her in closer.

"Oh I-I hope it's n-not you." She whimpered.

"It won't be. No one else is dying on this quest. I promise." He said firmly.

"Don't say that." She pleaded.

"It's not like you have a say in who lives and who dies."

He sighed, she had a point there.

_**A.N- Thanks for reading everyone. I'm not going to ask if you enjoyed this chapter, because chances are, you probably didn't. Well the end is in sight, I'm anticipating that there will only be three or four more updates at the most. **_

_**Until next time, remember that for every dark night, there will be a beautiful morning.**_

_**-Wolf out**_


	10. Heart of Darkness

Last time on The Stones of Fate…In a shocking turn of events, our band of heroes arrived at the town of Trotternish to find it under siege. The attackers: Omegasevrians. After a fierce and bloody battle, Wee Dingwall was killed when he went back to help his injured comrade, Spiros, buying the vanguard enough time to get across a bridge that stood between the advancing hostile army and the small band of survivors that still guarded the town. Grief stricken and demoralized, our heroes must now rally together and avenge the death of their friend.

and now...

Chapter 10

Heart of Darkness

"Shoo!" Spiros hissed, swinging his sword at the ravens who were attempting to feast on the bodies of the dead. He wore a piece cloth over his mouth and nose to keep the stench of death from entering his nostrils.

It had been a few hours since the battle had concluded. After forming a makeshift ice bridge, Seona, Spiros and a pair of city guards were burying the dead.

It was an unpleasant experience, but out respect for his fallen brothers in arms, Spiros knew that it was up to him and the others to lay these men to rest. It was late afternoon by the time they buried the last fallen solider.

Spiros sat on the edge of the shattered wooden bridge that had been destroyed earlier.

He stares uphill, at the Storr. It was only about two miles away. Two miles away from Balor, two miles away from ending this thing once and for all.

"Oi, what are yah lookin' at lad?" Aaron asked.

"That hill, we're gonna take it." The Greco said firmly.

"You do realize that's where those things have made their base camp right?" The man asked.

"Yes and that means their leader is their as well. I'm going to kill him." The Vanguard hissed.

"We'd need a large skilled force to take that hill." Aaron protested.

"No, just a determined one." The Vanguard insisted, standing up.

"What's the terrain like up there?"

"The hill gets a bit steeper as you get to the top, then it levels out. The Storr sits at the center of the plateau, behind it is a rocky ridge line where I would assume the defenders would be waiting for us." Aaron explained.

"How many guards do you have left under your command?" Spiros asked.

"About eight."

"Do you think they'd be willing to make this attack?"

"Probably, they're my best men."

"Good, tell them to get ready." Spiros instructed making his way to the Inn where his friends were resting.

He found MacGuffin crashed out on the couch, Seona was sitting on a bench with her sister, who had her arm around her shoulders. Macintosh was sitting on the front desk, sharpening one of his swords.

They looked tired and down trodden, he couldn't blame them. Watching a someone you know die took a lot out of you. They all had a small bit of fear in their eyes, like they were afraid to even look at each other out of fear that the person they glanced at would be next one to go. He knew that if they went on like this, it could be their undoing.

Spiros sighed before addressing them.

"When I was a boy, there was a man of the sea who watched over us when we went swimming in the ocean. Eddie Aikau. We could always count on him to come and help us if we got in trouble out there. No matter how rough the surf was, or how far out you had gone. He would go out and help you get back to shore. He and my Grandfather taught me everything I know about the sea. At night, he would have bonfires on the beach and tell us stories about the creatures that lived below the waves."

The Vanguard frowned before continuing.

"One day, me, my father, my Grandfather and the crew of our boat were out fishing in rough seas. We should of known better. At one point, something punched a hole in our hull. The ship was taking on water, and it was a long swim to shore. My Dad and the crew were trying to repair the damage to the ship, but by that point it was only a matter of time. Then we heard something knocking on the side of the hull. I peeked over the edge to see Eddie, asking for permission to come aboard. He had swam out to help us, and so one by one Eddie helped the crew to shore while my Dad and Grandfather salvaged what they could from below deck. They were great swimmers so Eddie must not of been too worried about them. The last person he helped was me, he ripped off a chunk of wood and told me to lay on it. The seas were getting bad, so there was no way I could of gotten to shore without help. He pushed me and that hunk of wood towards shore, and then when I got close enough to the beach he gave me one last shove that gave me enough momentum to catch a wave and ride it to shore. I turned to thank him, but he was already swimming back to the ship. Once we were all ashore, we looked around to thank Eddie, but we couldn't find him. After that day, he was never seen again but his legacy had a lasting impact. Without him, I wouldn't be here. Now whenever the odds were stacked up against me, when it seems like the seas are too rough, I tell myself:

Eddie would go.

That's what keeps me going. When I was on that bridge and it seemed like I was done for, Dingwall ran in and helped me get back to you guys. Eddie would have done the same thing and now that we're this close to stopping our enemy, we need to go,We need to go and stop Balor once and for all. So, are you guys with me?"

The Vanguard scanned the faces of his friends, the fire in their eyes had returned. Their grief was turning into something else, something that would give them the strength to make that one last push.

Macintosh looked up from sharpening his sword.

"Im up for a rematch." He replied.

Spiros looked to MacGuffin who was beginning to sit up. The Greco took his friend's hand and pulled him onto his feet. He then turned to Seona, who was already standing up.

"God or no god, now I've got a score to settle with that snake." She snarled.

Spiros grinned.

"Get in line."

He then looked over to Merida, who now had a quiver full of arrows.

"Payback time." She told her friend.

"Alright then, let's go."

They all gave a nod of approval and went outside.

...

The plan of attack was relatively simple.

Visilis, who was back from his evac flights, would drop the remaining catapult boulders on enemy defensive positions. Meanwhile, the guards, who were bringing all the crossbow bolts they could carry, would set up a firing line just below the crest of the hill. In order to fire, they would have to pop their heads up just a few inches and squeeze of a shot. It would be relatively difficult for their foes to hit them while they were hidden. Our heroes, when the time was right, would charge The Storr and enter The Great Library. Meanwhile, Visilis and the guards would fight until they decided they couldn't hold the position. The guards would fall back, trying to lure as many Omegasevrians away from the hill as they could. Visilis would orbit the hill from a high altitude until our heroes emerged from underground. He would then swoop in and pull them from the battlefield.

The sky was just barely beginning to turn orange when they arrived at the crest of the hill. The long green grass concealed their advance, while the guards set up Spiros poked his head above the grass to get a look at enemy positions. Only to find that there was no one guarding the rock formation that was The Storr. The Vanguard scanned the ridge line...nothing.

He knew that they were here somewhere...but where?

He did notice an injured guard lying in the field just a few feet in front of them. Two of Aaron's men crept forward to assist him, when they tried to pick him up he began to struggle and push them away. Spiros realized he was trying to warn them.

"No, don't move him!" He shouted.

There was a loud CLICK noise as they rolled the injured guard onto his back.

A cylinder jumped out of the ground and exploded just in mid air. Crystal shards shot out in all directions, killing the three guards who were closest to the blast.

The ridge line exploded with activity, crystal bolts were whizzing by our heroes.

"Return fire!" Spiros shouted.

The guards began firing their own crossbows. Spiros whistled for Visilis, and seconds later the griffin came in from their right, dropping a large boulder on the enemy forces entrenched in the ridge line. Ten feet in from of them, the ground exploded and a dozen Omegasevrian soldiers emerged from the earth.

"Merida, keep firing on the ridge line! Aaron, you and your boys take out those guys!" Spiros instructed.

"The rest of you, fire on the ridge line and be ready to move!"

One of the enemy soldiers was carrying a large device, he set it down and hit switch. An air sack on the side of the machine inflated. After a minute, he pulled the trigger and hundreds of crystal shards shot from the end of the weapon, forcing our heroes to stay down. There was a loud screech as Vislilis returned to the battle, dropping another boulder on the ridge line.

Spiros cursed as he got up, a crystal shard had struck him in the shoulder. He noticed that the Omegasevrians were making adjustments to their weapon. They were pouring a bunch of crystals shards into the top of the device. Once they were done, they closed the hatch and inflated the air sack. Soon they were firing again.

The Greco knew that if that machine kept them suppressed, a small team of Omegasevrians could flank them and attack from the sides or from behind. He knew they had to move now. When the hail storm of crystal shards stopped, the vanguard surged forward. Attacking the crew of the device, he set one on fire and engaging the other with his sword. He ducked as the officer tried to decapitate him with his sword, then grunted as his foe knees him in the gut and sent him rolling backwards.

Our hero quickly got to his feet, shooting his foe with a bolt of lighting to the head. The bolt of electricity left a hole in his foes head. He then grabbed the machine that had been terrorizing them and broke it in two over his knee. Crossbow bolts and crystal shards shot passed him as he willed a wall of earth to form. He then motioned for his allies to move up.

They complied and surged forward, ducking and flinching as enemy fire made the ground around them explode. A familiar screech made them turn their gaze skywards as Visilis dropped yet another boulder on the enemy ridge line positions. The Storr was now just thirty feet away.

"Alright, on three we're going to make a run for it!" Spiros told his friends.

They nodded.

"Good luck!" Aaron told them.

"Remember, when you guys can't hold this wall fall back to where we just were. Then if you can't hold that, just go!" Seona told him.

"Will do!" He said with a nod before turning to his men.

"On three, suppressing fire lads!" He shouted.

"One!"

Spiros and his friends put their weapons away so that they could run faster.

"Two!"

Merida shared a quick glance with her friend as if to say:

"Here goes nothing!"

"Three!"

"Covering fire!"

The team broke away from the guards and sprinted across the open field to the rock formation. Several of those jumping cylinders shot up and exploded, one crystal shard cut Merida just below her eye. A crystal cluster rocketed down from the ridge line and struck the ground next to Young Macintosh. He blast sent him stumbling forward but he quickly went back to sprinting.

The Storr's center rock had a gaping hole in the side of it that resembled a doorway, our heroes dove into it and were sent tumbling down a spiral staircase. When they reached the bottom, they were breathing hard and sweating like crazy but they had made it. Seona quickly sealed off the entrance that was behind them with a well controlled ceiling collapse. This would make it impossible for them to be followed, but also deprived them of their only source of light.

Spiros got to his feet and willed a ball of pure light to form in his hand, revealing the surrounding structure that they were in. Massive stone arches supported the buildings curved ceiling. Carved into these arches were various pictures, depicting the history and mythology of the Highlands. The arches had chunks knocked out of them, and moss along with glowing purple mushrooms had engulfed their bases. From the ceiling hung giant steel braziers, attached to the stone roof via chains. These braziers most likely were supposed to be used as lighting fixtures but had long since been extinguished. On either side of the room were giant stone book shelves, standing over forty feet tall. The shelves were packed with stone tablets, rolled up paintings and hundreds of books and scrolls. Some of these shelves had been knocked down, their contents spread out across the dusty floor.

"This place is massive." Seona murmured.

"Well yeah, they don't call it the Great Library for nothing." Macintosh grumbled.

Young MacGuffin mumbled something.

"What did he say?" Spiros asked.

"He said he hears something." Merida replied.

Our heroes readied their weapons, expecting the worst.

Instead, they heard the playful shouts of a Will O' the Wisp.

Several of the blue sports shot up from the ground, forming a line of blue light that led our heroes forward.

While the others followed right away, Spiros did so reluctantly. He never really got along with beings from the Plains of Ethereal. As he began walking her heard a peculiar sound, like a knife being dragged across stone. He stopped and looked around but saw nothing in the darkness he sheathed his sword and continued on.

...

Our heroes had exited the large chamber where the book shelves had been and were now following the trail wisps through a series of narrow stone corridors. These corridors were dimly lit by torches, so Spiros was able to extinguish his ball of light and give his chained arm a break, as it was beginning to grow sore.

The Vanguard turned to Seona.

"Hey, are you guys sure we can trust these things? What if they're leading us into a trap?"

"Well they can't really be persuaded to be good or evil, all they do is lead people to their fate. Whether its good or bad, it's not theirs to decide. A long time ago, they used to try to warn people if it was bad, but the Gods didn't like that. They took away their voices and their free will. Now all they can do is show us the path, but what lies at the end of the path is for us to discover." She explained.

"How was their free will taken?" Spiros asked.

"Well they used to be ghosts, and they would act as guides. Showing people the way by pointing in the general cardinal direction and giving them cryptic instructions. They would then follow that person until they reached their destination or if they went off course, they would reappear and get them going in the right direction again. When the Gods found out they were changing people's fates, they turned the ghosts into diminutive creatures called Wisps, who are very child like by nature. They cant really think for themselves, which is good for the Gods because that means they won't change people's fate." Merida told him.

The wisps suddenly vanished as our heroes entered another large room. In the center of the room was a man in blue robes, long white hair and a white beard. He was sitting cross legged on a silver platform that was raised slightly off the ground. In front of him was wooden staff and a long sword. His hands were on his knees and above him, hundreds of wisps flew around him.

"That is correct my dear, and like all children. They needed a father." He said from across the room.

"Murchadh." Merida said in a small voice.

She clumsily curtsied, and her sister followed suit. Macintosh and MacGuffin bowed while Spiros drew his sword and drove it into the ground as he dropped to one knee.

Merida exchanged a worried look with Seona. She didn't know if that was normal for someone to bow like that, but the calm look in her sisters eyes assured her that it was alright.

"No need for formalities, I'm not as stuck up as they are." The old man said looking skyward.

Our heroes walked towards the man, as they got closer they noticed that he was sweating a great deal. His eyes were blood shot and he was quite pale.

"Sir, what are you doing here? Aren't your chambers in the center of the library?" Merida asked.

"Aye, they were. Before Balor showed up with his demons. Shadow Shifters he calls them. He laid siege to my home and turned my assistant against me. Then he went into the inner sections of the library, located through the doors behind me. He's holed up in there with The Librarian and a handful of Shadow Shifters guarding him." The old man explained.

"We need to get in there, the fate of the Highlands depends on it." Macintosh told him.

"I am well aware, but I must let you know that you will have to pay a price for me to open this door." The man explained.

"What would that be?" Seona asked.

"The Wisps receive their instructions from me and only me. Out of instinct, should I die, they will gravitate to the most powerful sorcerer and obey him without question." He told them.

"There aren't many sorcerers around the kingdom, sir." Merida replied.

"Well there will be one more soon enough. That is why Balor is here, he is using all of his power to awaken his old master. The Horned King, who was in fact, one of the most powerful necromancers who ever lived." The old man extended an arm towards our heroes.

The world around them became distorted, when it came back into focus. They were in a different time.

...

"The Horned King's true name has been lost to time, but his deeds are still well known. When he was young, he lost his first and only love during a war that amongst the clans of the Highlands. It would be the key to his undoing."

Spiros saw a solitary man dressed in a black cloak standing over a grave that was atop a hill. The sky was black and rain was just beginning to fall.

"In the meantime, he grew angry with the clans, who were fighting for power, and left to live a solitary life in the mountains. It was there that he began worshiping Balor, who was a mere disciple of the Gods. Balor was learning the dark art of Necromancy, and passed his knowledge on to his new found companion."

The next scene our hero saw were two men, sitting in a damp dark cave reading ancient scrolls and texts.

"It didn't take long for a role reversal to occur. The Horned King tapped into his darker side and accelerated his ascent to power. Despite this, the Gods favored Balor to become the God of Death. This was because, at the time, Balor believed that in order for the world to be in balance, there had to be Masters of the Light, as well as the Shadows. Balor knew that his friend was stronger then him, and enlisted him as his right hand man. To be his eyes and ears in the mortal world."

The scene shifted once again, showing Balor sitting in a throne made of obsidian. He was pointing forward, and the cloaked man was heading in that direction, drawing his sword.

"As he skulked through the world, he informed the people of the Highlands of the rise of the God of Death. They began to recognize Balor as a God, but continued their bloody turf war. In disgust, The Horned King told his friend of the pain the quarreling clans had caused him and how they needed to be punished. After all, too much death created an imbalance."

The next scene showed the cloaked man kneeling before Balor, who was listening to his friend with great interest.

"Balor saw this opportunity to show that he was not a force of chaos, but a force of balance. He sent monsters and demons into the homes of the clans, forcing them all to come together to combat a greater threat. Meanwhile, The Horned King began spending much of his time here in the Great Library. Reading forbidden texts, and increasing his ability to manipulate the dead."

Once again, the scene changed. The cloaked man was hunched over a black book, reading in dim candlelight.

"One day, he was caught reading these texts and, despite Balor's pleas, was punished harshly by the Gods. His face was burned to the bone with sun-fire and branded with the glyph of shame. In an attempt to repair his disfigured face, he and Balor scoured the Great Library to find a solution. During this time, they discovered a book written by an ancient sorcerer named Arawn. They opened the book, hoping that answers were written on its pages. Instead, the book corrupted them. For there was an evil power in those pages. After that they were never the same."

Spiros saw the cloaked man and Balor walking away from The Storr with hunger in their eyes.

"They began to believe that the world was so out of balance, there was only one solution. Wipe the slate clean and start anew. So they began to plan, they set a plague on the clans that has only recently ceased to be a problem. Their ruthless assault on the clans made them cease their worshiping of the other Gods, who required the reading of the sacred scrolls that the mortals used for worship to maintain their power and immortality. Soon they had grown weak, so weak that they retreated from their fortress in the Highlands and into the heavens. Meanwhile Balor and his ally waged war on the clans. In a bold move, the duo single handedly attacked the castle in which the Bear Prince and his family called home. During the battle, a book fell from the travel sack of Balor."

The scene our heroes saw depicted Mor'du picking up a black leather book off the stone floor of his home.

"Mor'du skimmed its pages and became corrupted by its dark insight just like his adversary's had. He wanted revenge on them and he went to The Witch of DunBroch for help. She gave him the strength of ten men in exchange for the book that had poisoned his mind. Thankfully, she hasn't had the opportunity to read that blasted collection of parchments. Mor'du then became a force to reckon with, he waged war on everyone who had ever wronged him. It wasn't long before he had managed to track down Balor and defeat him. After that, the once noble prince became a beast for good. Meanwhile, The Horned King decided to go into a hibernation of sorts. He knew that he would have to conserve his life force so that when the time was right, he could join his ally in ushering in the new era."

The last scene showed the cloaked man clambering into a coffin while Balor looked on from a distance. Then the world shifted once more and when the disorientation wore off they were back in the front of the old man.

...

"Behind these doors is the entrance to the Ancient Garrison, the place where the Horned King has been lying in wait for his chance to destroy all life in this world. In order to stop the Omegasevrians and him from emerging I sealed these doors and tied them to my life force. They will only open when I am dead." He explained.

"Well cant you just sever the tie?" Seona asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. A spell like this requires full commitment of the caster. Not even the Gods can undo this spell without killing me. I have foreseen your arrival and have taken the proper preparations. I have been eating nightshade berries for the past few days now. It just a few minutes I will depart from this world, as I can already feel my strength leaving me." He continued.

"If you die and if Balor revives the Horned King, then the Wisps will gravitate to him. He will have control over them! Who knows what he will do with them." Merida exclaimed.

"Aye that is correct lass. More then likely, he will use them to begin creating his army. He will twist them with dark magic and turn them into spirits of chaos and death. In addition to this, the opening of these doors will allow the remaining Omegasevrians to emerge. You thought fate brought you here to stop a war, but instead you will only bear witness to its beginning. " The Old man concluded before groaning and falling to the floor.

"Murchadh!" Merida shouted running to his aid.

She helped the dying man sit up, he was clearly in a great deal of agony.

"Vanguard Spiros, come here child." He pleaded.

The Greco took a knee in front of the dying man.

"The key to defeating Balor lies with your greatest enemy. Go to him and he will show you how to turn your burden into a weapon."

Spiros nodded.

"I understand."

"Good, stay strong children. Take care of each other. The gravity of this situation may seem to big to grasp but know that...your destiny lies with..."

The man exhaled heavily and expired.

The hundreds of Wisps who had been flying around playing games with one another had since encircled their dying father and just like children, they wept for him before dispersing.

With a heavy groan, the stone doors opened revealing nothing but collapsed stone arches, which lie in pieces across the floor and toppled book shelves. Spiros honestly didn't feel like continuing.

They had come all this way, lost a friend, watched a village be destroyed and had a group of men face certain death. Only for an old geezer to tell them that they were too late, they were only here to watch the beginning of the end. This raised the question, why did the old man eat those berries. If the spell he had cast on the door was so strong as well as being tied to your life force, why open them by allowing yourself to die?

Then he realized, that old man had been mortal and looked pretty old when they had found him. Eventually, he would of died. The doors would of been opened, and the Horned King and his small army of Omegasevrians would have made their way into the Highlands anyways. For better or worse, this was how things were meant to play out.

Merida's voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Let's get moving." He replied quickly.

They then advanced into the darkness.

...

With the ball of light in Spiros' hand being their only light source, our heroes began to grow uneasy. Every now and then they heard a small hiss. The smell of rotting flesh or the feeling that they were being stalked. The way through this chamber was not straight forward, the collapsed arches and book shelves created a zig zagging path that our heroes had to follow. Every now and then, someone would step on a scroll or slip on a book. Needless to say, everyone was on edge.

As they neared the end of the twisted path, Vailean began to hear two distinct noises. One was the sound of someone, probably Balor, chanting in Gaelic. The second was the sound of footsteps...coming from above them.

Seona must have heard it too, because she turned around and fired a ball of fire at the ceiling. The glow of the flames revealed the creatures who had been stalking them.

They had no eyes only gill like slits. They had reptilian heads with large poisonous spines on top of their heads and that ran down their backs, at the tail was a 1ft long half crescent steel blade was integrated into their skin. They had four lizard-like arms with long thin claws that resembled hypodermic needles. The arms and legs were muscular but thin and their bodies were thin and covered in scars their ribcages were easily visible, like famine victims. Their skin was jet black and covered in scars. Disgusting green saliva dripped from their mouths, which made a sizzling sound went it hit the ground.

The lead creature snarled at Merida who was slowly notching an arrow in her bow. As its mouth opened she saw hundreds of razor sharp serrated teeth with four massive 10 inch long fangs at the front of its mouth. Their forms shimmered as if they were made of mist. The creatures used their snake like tongues to establish their position. They hissed and growled at our heroes as they got closer it seemed as if the temperature had dropped by 20 degrees. The creatures seemed to radiate death.

"Spiros, Merida. Go on ahead. We'll take care of those things and watch your back." Seona instructed.

"Are you sure?" Merida asked.

"We got this, go." Young MacGuffin replied.

The look on Spiros' face would have been hilarious had they not been in mortal danger.

"Did he just-"

Before the vanguard could finish, one of the beasts jumped down from the ceiling and landed on a chunk of stone and roared.

"Go!" Macintosh ordered.

The duo set off towards the exit as one of the creatures jumped onto Seona.

...

Merida and Spiros crept down a massive stone stair case. When they reached the bottom, they were in a large circular room. In the center of the room was Balor. He was surrounded by coffins and a small group of Omegasevrian Officers. The God of Death was chanting in such an ancient dialect of Gaelic that even Merida couldn't understand him.

Spiros turned to her as he sheathed his weapons.

"Stay here, I'm going to try and get a vantage point. If I'm lucky I can attack the Horned King while he still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes." He told her.

"Ok, be careful." She replied, clearly not liking the idea of staying put. Yet she still gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"That was for luck, because Gods know you'll need a lot of it." She mumbled.

"Glad to see your confident I'm my abilities." He replied before turning into a cloud of black mist and shooting away.

He rematerialized in the shadows on the far side of the room, black crystals encased one arm which were driven into the stone wall which helped him hang from the wall without much effort. Below, Balor finished his incantation and the marble coffin lids began to move. Soon figures were emerging from them.

The first figure was a man dressed from head to toe in heavy scratched and battered steel armor. His helmet had six slits on each side of his face that probably acted as a view port. On his shoulders, along with the rest of his armor were tiny glyphs glowing with a strange black light. On both of his arms were black right triangle shaped armor plates. Perhaps they were some sort of close ranged stabbing weapon. He stood at least 6'5 and had a heavy build. In his right hand was a large spiked mace. The spikes were bronze and covered with bloodstains, while the handle was black. The rest of the weapon was made of steel.

The second figure was clad in a tattered dark blue cape, along dark grey armor that looked like it had been burned by a Wyvern. The armor had silver designs etched into it, designs that took the shapes of glyphs on the chest, shoulders and knees. His helmet had a V shaped view port and was the only piece of his armor that didn't have silver designs on it. On one arm, he wore a dark blue kite shield with scorch marks on it. The shield had a reversed tear drop shape and on its center there was the image of a fighting golden lion. In his other hand was a black large sword that was about eight or nine feet long. The figure rested the weight of the blade on his shoulder as it would be impractical to try and put it in a sheath.

The third figure was dressed in light weight black armor. A chain mail skirt covered his armored legs. On the chest plate was a golden raven with its wings spread. His helmet resembled a plague mask. Glass eyes that acted as the view ports and an elongated beak that made the wearer resemble a raven. On his back was a scimitar, but in his hand was a spear with a golden spear point. The rest of the weapon, like the shaft of the spear was made of petrified wood. On his other hand was a small circle shield made of scorched steel.

The final figure was a skull faced man, who's eyes were red. Not because they were supernatural but because the whites of his eyes had been burned off. Leaving only what was underneath. The flesh on his bony hands was green, for time had ravaged his entire body. He was dressed in dark red robes and, sprouting from his head was a fungal growth that strongly resembled the horns of a demon. He had no visible weapons on his person.

"At long last, welcome back my friend." Balor said with a grin.

The Horned King inhaled sharply, taking in the damp underground air.

Spiros drew his sword. Now was the time to strike.

He jumped down onto his unsuspecting foes, much to his shock the Horned King caught the vanguard mid flight and threw him into the ground.

The Vanguard scrambled to get to his feet, but Balor kneed him in the gut. Forcing him down onto his hands and knees.

"Grovel before your new king." The Villain hissed.

Then he kicked our hero again, sending him tumbling onto his side.

"You know lad. You were a fool for coming here. You should of turned back when you met those Romans. After all it was only a matter of time until they found Fort Ness." He chided.

"I don't know what your talking about." The Greco groaned.

"Well let me refresh your memory. That little fort you 'snuck' out of is now under siege by the Romans who believe that you are inside. They got this idea after receiving an 'anonymous' tip from yours truly. After sometime the rebel army led by dear Jonathan, who is desperately searching for his father, caught wind of the siege and decided to join in. After all, he knows that his father was indeed captured by you and your friends. Sadly, both the Romans and the Rebels will turn that entire castle upside down and kill everyone inside only to find that who they're looking for isn't there." The God of Death told him.

"You wanted us to come here. To get us away from the fort." Spiros realized.

"Aye, so that some of its best defenders wouldn't be defending it." The fiend replied.

Spiros got to his feet and took his sheild off his back. Then Merida dive-rolled into the center of the room. She ended up at Spiros' side by the end of the maneuver.

"We need to get back to Fort Ness." He told her.

"So I've heard." She replied.

"Silly children, a place that you thought would hold the key to your salvation will instead be your tomb." Balor chuckled as he walked through the wall of magma that had formed on the far side of the chamber. The Horned King and the three armored warriors followed suit.

Spiros and Merida went back to back. They were surrounded by a handful Omegasevrians.

"These poor fools have us surrounded. I feel bad for them." Merida murmured.

"Why?" Her friend asked.

"This won't even be a fair fight." She explained with a grin.

He readied his sword and raised his shield.

She notched three arrows and took aim.

"You with me?" He asked her.

"I'm with you." She replied.

The duo attacked.

...

Seona held the snapping jaws of the Shadow Shifter back with one hand, wiggling her head around to avoid the creature's acidic saliva. She then grabbed onto its snout and shocked it to death. She got up to see Vailean slice one in two at the waist as it jumped at him.

Spiros and Merida ran up to them from behind, clearly worried.

"We need to get to the surface now." They said simultaneously.

...

AN- *que dramatic action music* Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I loved writing it and it's probably my favorite chapter that I've written so far. The end is neigh people, like REALLY neigh. Anyways, two interesting questions from Superfan44 that I wanted to share with you.

1.) Who do you think should be the voice for Spiros if he was ever put into any Brave film.

2.) What song do you think would fit this story best as a theme song? Superfan44 suggested 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons just now, while I'm thinking about The Silent Comedy- Bartholomew.

Answer in your reviews if you wish, and also, there is a poll on my profile. Check it out if you want to and voice your opinion about the future of Merida, Spiros, Seona and the others beyond the Horned King's Challenge crossover. Finally, this chapter will be replacing the finale preview. If you want to read it, PM me and I will send it to you.

Until next time,

Wolf out!


	11. Reckoning

Last time on Stones of Fate...the Horned King lives! After journeying into the Great Library and discovering the origin of the demon king and his accomplice, Balor, the God of Death. Our heroes quickly discovered that their foes had laid a trap for them. Drawing them away from Fort Ness and tipping off the Roman and Rebel armies of its importance. The Omegasevrians are in route as well. Finally, Spiros received a tip from the dying Father of the Wisps. The old man told our hero that the key to victory lies with his greatest enemy.

And now...

Chapter 11

Reckoning

"Run!" Spiros instructed as the ground sound them began to explode.

Out of the ground emerged armored skeletons, whose rib cages were split open revealing a blue fire burning in their chest cavity. Their eyes also held the eerie looking blue flame. Our heroes cut through them with relative ease, alone the skeletons were just a strong as the average foot solider. In numbers, it is possible that they could be a formidable force.

They clambered up the stairs towards the surface, when they emerged from underground the guards they had left behind were no where in sight. Spiros whistled for his Griffin who came streaking down from the sky with a fierce cry. He quickly landed in front of heroes who scrambled onto his back as Omegasevrians and skeleton warriors emerged from underground. With some difficulty, Visilis got into the air and flew away from the site as crystal bolts and spears whizzed by.

"Take us to Fort Ness!" Seona shouted.

The Griffin turned to the south and poured on the speed.

...

Fort Ness was in serious trouble. The Main gate, located in the western wall, was being attacked by Rebels. The Omegasevrians were attacking the northern and southern walls, while the Romans were striking the eastern wall from the lake. The situation was so dire that even Queen Elinor had suited up in her own armor to repel the threat.

She and her husband were standing atop the eastern wall, surveying the battle. Every now and then they would be forced to duck as a ballista bolt soared over their heads. The sky was cloudy and little flakes of snow were beginning to fall.

Elinor sighed.

"Well, this is quite a pickle isn't it."

Fergus just chuckled.

"We've been through worse."

Elinor slowly nodded.

"True, but you'd have to admit that this is pretty high up on the list."

"Definitely." Her husband replied.

Lord Dingwall walked up to the duo, clearing his throat.

"I got my men back here as soon as I heard about the attack. Wherever those kids are, I hope they're safe."

"Perhaps it is for the best they escaped, things aren't looking good for us right now." Elinor grumbled.

"Yes, perhaps." Dingwall replied.

"Oof!"

THINK

THUD

The trio turned to see where the noise had come from, they locked eyes with three heavily armored warriors. One in black armor and a bird like helmet armed with a spear. The other taller and in heavy steel armor. He was armed with a bloody mace. The third was Jon. He was wearing chain mail under a steel chest plate and armored trousers. He had no helmet and had a shield strapped to one arm and a longsword in the other.

"Now, it is you who will kneel." Jon growled.

Fergus drew his sword and Dingwall readied his twin axes.

Only Elinor was willing to reason with him.

"Lad, you don't have to do this."

"You're right, so tell me: where is my father?"

"Locked up, where he belongs." Dingwall snarled.

"My father is great man, he recognizes the tyranny of the clans and of the crown. He seeks to set free the people of your oppressive rule." Jon reasoned.

"Your father is a man who speaks of a world united under his rule and the rule of Balor, The God of Death. Such a kingdom would be a dark and evil place, filled with discord and death. No good would come from such a rule." Elinor chided.

"You're wrong, Balor told us of a world where all would be equal. There would be no kings, queens or peasants. Only man." Jon snarled.

"All are indeed equal in death, Balor has deceived you. The path you and your father would send us down. I will not allow it." Fergus replied, taking a fighting stance.

"No, it is you who is the deceiver." Jon hissed, raising his weapon.

...

Our heroes examined the battlefield from high in the sky. Fort Ness was encompassed by hostile forces. The odds didn't look good, in fact it became clear that no matter how hard they fought, the battle was lost.

"Merida, are there any other ways out of the fort?" Spiros asked.

The Princess shut her eyes and searched her mind for the answer. Eventually, one of her mother's history lessons popped into her head. She gasped and recalled the info.

"There's a secret passage in the wine cellar that leads to a cave system under the lake." She explained.

"The main tunnel goes right across the lake to the other side, but the others branch off in different directions. We could probably fit everyone in the fort in one of the larger caverns with quite a bit of room to spare."

"Would we have access to fresh water?" Seona asked.

"Aye, a few underground caverns have large pools of water that connect to underwater tunnels that would take you up to the surface of the lake." Her sister replied.

"That might be useful later." Spiros murmured.

Young MacGuffin tapped Spiros on the shoulder, and then gestured downwards.

Spiros saw the standoff between Jon, Lord Dingwall and Fergus.

"Visilis, drop the others off on one of the walls and be careful! Seona, hammer toss!" He instructed as he sprung into action, jumping right off his griffin.

Seona jumped off as well, grabbing him by the back of his armor and using her power over air to spin around rapidly. On the third full rotation she threw him down towards the earth. While Visilis dove down and snatched her up gently with his talons.

Meanwhile, Spiros rocketed downwards. Using his powers to neutralize all air resistance. Allowing him to reach higher speeds. Once he was at a couple hundred feet above the ground, he used his powers once again. This time to slow himself down drastically. He still left a bit of a crater when landed on the wall. Before his foe had any time to react, he drew his sword and with an upward slice backed up with a strong blast of wind put Jon on his back. His two heavily armed lackeys came to his defense, attacking instantly. Spiros swatted a spear jab away with the flat of his blade and then raised his sword to block a downward mace strike. The two weapons met with a thunderous CLANG and Spiros was forced to put his free hand on his sword to strengthen his defense.

Fergus charged into battle, keeping the spear wielding knight at bay. Lord Dingwall also sprang into action, attacking the mace wielding knight, forcing him to divert his attention away from the vanguard.

This allowed our hero step back and tug at his chain a bit, feeling it tighten after such strenuous use of his powers.

"Your timing is impeccable." Queen Elinor told him.

The Greco chuckled before turning his gaze to the roman war ships firing on the fort from the lake.

"Friends of yours?" She asked.

He scowled.

"Yeah, you could say that."

There was a loud thud behind the two, Spiros turned to see his Griffin lowering his head as ballista bolt whisked by. Merida and the others weren't on his back, so he presumed they were off fighting.

"Alright bud, let's go take care of some business." He told his friend, hopping onto his back.

The duo flew off, dodging ballista bolts that were fired in an attempt to halt their approach.

They picked out the command vessel, the largest ship in the center of the formation. Carefully they landed on the deck of the vessel where they were greeted at spear-point.

The entire time, Spiros had his hands raised in surrender. Once he stepped off Visilis, he was greeted by a Roman officer armed with a gladius. He had grey hair, a squared chin, blue eyes and white and grey stubble.

The man Spiros knew as Tiberius.

"Its been a long time son." He said through clenched teeth.

"Only about four months." Our hero replied.

"Looks like you'll be meeting the Furies today." The officer said grimly.

"Well preferably not, I still have some things to take care of." The Greco grumbled.

"Like what?" One solider snapped.

"I'm here to make a deal." Spiros began.

"What in the hell makes you think I would strike a deal with a wanted fugitive?"

"Give me five minutes to explain, while we talk. Your men can go talk to the ballista crew, and order a ceasefire on the Fort."

"Why would I do that?"

"If you don't, you'll never hear my deal. Which would involve me turning myself in. Not to mention the fact that I'll be sure to light this pile of sticks up on my way out." He replied, allowing his fist to burst into flames.

Tiberius scowled.

Spiros tried to suppress a sly grin.

"What's it going to be?"

He knew Tiberius wouldn't be able to resist a deal like that, Especially after he had spent all these years hunting him. Plus the prospect of one of the Empire's largest warships burning up in the middle of a lake, should he refuse, provided extra incentive.

The officer turned to his troops.

"Do as he says."

They all hesitated but with a grudging nod, went to fulfill Spiros' demands.

Tiberius then turned to face our hero.

"I'm listening." He grumbled.

"On shore, in the Fort you were just firing on, is the Royal Family and their followers. Two necromancers along with their army have attacked, alongside a rebel force led by a delusional leader who believes the necromancers doomsday will usher in a new era of prosperity." Our hero began.

"Necromancers eh? What a shame, if they hadn't repulsed our army a few years back. They might have had our protection in such a crisis. Instead, they chose to rally behind four bumbling clan leaders." The officer said with a shake of the head.

"They are a proud stubborn people." Spiros explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Tiberius asked.

"One of those Necromancers is a god. You're going to tell me how to kill him, with this." Spiros replied, tapping his chain with his index finger.

The Roman raised an eyebrow as our hero continued

"I know you suppressed my powers with this damn thing, so my question is can it suppress immortality?"

Tiberius shrugged.

" According to legend, It is made from the same material that was used to craft the net that trapped Zeus when the other Olympians became unsatisfied with his leadership. If the material can suppress the strength of the King of the Gods, I don't see why it couldn't nullify the immortality of a lesser deity."

"Get this thing off of me then, and teach me how to use this thing as a weapon." Spiros asked.

"What do you plan on doing for me, if I were to agree to such a thing?" The Roman asked.

"Once I kill the necromancers, I'll turn myself in peacefully. You will then be able to bring me to Rome, where I will face justice. You have my word." Our hero replied.

"So you are willing accept the fact that you will be put to death?"

"As long as the necromancers don't beat you to the punch." The Greco mumbled.

"Are you willing to admit that you did kill my wife in cold blood?"

"No. Never, because I did not. I was set up, as I have told you a dozen times."

The aging military officer scowled at him.

"Give it up Spiros. I'm sick of your lies. During your trial, you even admitted you did not know who would want to kill my wife by framing you. You had few enemies in Rome. Except for Septimus, but we all know what you did to him."

Our hero scowled and looked down at the deck.

"I had no choice." He snarled.

"For a young man with so much blood on his hands, you show little remorse. It is no wonder why Lucilia never forgave you."

"Believe me, I've lost plenty of sleep over the matter." He said clenching his fists.

"Now, before I agree to your proposition, you're going to need to convince me about your innocence. Otherwise, I'll have you killed before you can even whistle for your beast." Tiberius demanded.

"When I was a boy, my home was attacked. One of the attackers was a skull faced man or more likely the spirit of the second necromancer I seek to destroy. Years later, my informant was given false information on a rogue vanguard who was planning to kill you. Most likely as revenge for sending me to hunt down Septimus. I ended up killing your wife as a result. A few days ago, I crash landed here and got wrapped up in suppressing the uprising and fighting against the necromancers. I think these events are connected, The Horned King, the skull faced man who is one of the necromancers I am fighting, has been trying to kill me for years." Spiros explained.

"Go on."

"I think he knew I would interfere with his plans at some point. So he tried to eliminate me from the equation, but in the process only guaranteed that we would meet on the field of battle some day. Today is that day."

SH-SHINK

"Spiros..." Tiberius began.

"Everything that has happened up to this point has been a result of destiny. I survived all these years, so that I could come to this land and fall in love with it's people. Specifically, their princess. I had no idea that one person could have such a great effect on another. I can't imagine my life without her, or any of the people that live here. All these years I thought I was fleeing my own home. Instead, I have only made my way to it so that I may defend it." The Greco continued.

SH-SH-SHINK

"Now I know that this is it. This is why I was made a vanguard. This is my purpose. To fight for my friends, my family, my love...my home."

SHINK-THUNK.

Spiros looked to the deck, to see a chain bundled up. It's glyphs glowing brightly before fading rapidly. The Greco brought his arm up to see that it was free. The only evidence that the chain had ever been around his arm was the twisting scar that wrapped around his arm, a result of all the times the blasted chain had seared his flesh along with many dark bruises.

"Find what you have lost, and become what you were once again." Spiros muttered.

"It appears you have found your way again." Tiberius said grudgingly.

Our hero felt his eyes sting, it felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The guilt, the regret , the cloud of hopelessness and despair had lifted. A wave of relief rolled across his body, he took a deep breath and felt his confidence and strength return to him.

"Tiberius..." He began, but the Roman shushed him.

"When I attached that chain to your arm, I did it because I believe you had fallen to the forces of darkness. It is clear to me now that it was I who allowed the darkness to poison me. I attached that chain to you out of anger. I blamed you for my wife's death. A blame you accepted, because of your self doubt which allowed the chain to take hold. You knew as little as I did about where the blame should fall. As a result, you exiled yourself as we pursued you and lost sight of what makes the world beautiful. Family, friends, belonging, love."

Spiros nodded in understanding.

"Now, You have forgiven yourself and you have moved on from the mistakes and the sorrows of the past...and so shall I by forgiving you." The man said.

"How touching." A voice hissed as a steel blade shot out from Tiberius chest.

Spiros was in shock, as was the Roman officer who turned to see his own daughter with her sword lodged in his back.

"Aeliana...why?" He groaned.

'It is a shame I already have a Queen.'

"Your with Balor." Spiros snarled , remembering what his foe had said a few nights ago as he allowed his fists to become engulfed in fire as he took a fighting stance.

"It's about time you figured it out. I set you up in Rome. Me! Balor and the Horned King saw great potential in me. They told me how my father's futile attempts to take over the mainland would end in the destruction of the Roman Empire. In turn for my loyalty, I was offered as position as the first Empress of New Rome. They showed me the glory my brother would attain in his later years. He is weak father, like you and mother were, and as you said: the weak will not weather the storm. So I will kill him as well...when the time is right."

"All you want is power." Spiros reasoned.

"Of course, I was born with a superior intellect. I excel at defeating my foes on the battlefield and I have made alliances with two powerful men. It is only common sense that I become the ruler of the New Rome, which will rise from he ashes of the old world like a mighty Phoenix." She said a almost happy sigh.

"You'll never get away with this." Our hero snarled.

"I already have once, with the 'death! of my mother." She replied, yanking the sword out of her father's back and throwing it at Spiros like it was a spear. He rolled out of the way as the blade impaled itself into the deck. In response he shot a blast of fire at her face, which went up in flames.

This must not have been in her plans, because she screamed out in pain and collapsed onto the deck.

"HELP! GUARDS! ANYONE!" She wailed.

Soilders stormed the deck, armed with bows, spears and swords. Even Aeliana's brother, Caelius, came to the rescue. He was armed with a new trident. He yelled in anger and charged Spiros who noticed the archers were taking aim at Visilis.

"Go! Fly back to the fort!" Our hero told his friend who complied.

The Greco turned and shot an air blast at everyone on deck, knocking them onto their butts and stunning them . He grabbed the chain and prepared to leap off the side of the boat when a crumpled up piece of paper hit his head.

Realizing Tiberius had thrown it, he grabbed the ball of paper and jumped into the water. Putting an air pocket around himself as he swam below the surface in order to stay submerged without needing to surface for air and so that he wouldn't be shot by an arrow while fleeing the scene.

When our hero arrived on shore, he set his sights on a familiar gargoyle. Who had a piece of green and brown plaid cloth tied around the shaft of his halberd. At first Spiros mistook it for a banner or flag but quickly realized it was the shredded kilt of the deceased Wee Dingwall.

The creature was advancing on the Fort, it could easily jump over the wall and land in the center, wreaking havoc on the defenders inside. Our hero would not allow that, he broke into a sprint. Focusing his powers so that green crystals shot up from the ground and formed a armor like suit over him, leaving a V shaped viewport. He then willed a large sword shaped crystal to shoot up from the ground. He caught the makeshift weapon with both hands and electrified it.

As he got closer to the Gargoyle, it noticed him and roared.

Spiros let out his own battle cry.

"RAGHHH!"

The Gargoyle lunged forward to snap at our hero with his jaws, Spiros grunted as he heaved the sword over his shoulder and swung downward at the monster's head. The blade broke on impact, becoming lodged in the creature's stone head.

It hissed and snarled, leaping back a few feet in order to recover. It roared at Spiros and shot a torrent of flame at our hero via the hole in its chest. Spiros willed a wall of earth to rise and shield him from the blast as he punched away at the earth, burrowing into the ground.

The Gargoyle howled and used his halberd to smash the wall of earth to pieces. Only to find that his foe was gone. Spiros shot up from the ground, delivering an uppercut to the monster who yelped in surprise. It whipped around and smacked Spiros aside with his tail. When the Vanguard stopped rolling, large chunks of his crystal armor was missing. Including his 'helmet'.

The monster leaped forward, looking to cut Spiros in two with his halberd. The blade of the giant weapon slammed into earth where our hero had been standing seconds before. Dirt and dust flew up into the air, using this as concealment Spiros closed the distance a delivered a strong fiery left hook to the monster who hissed and roared as its head burst into flames.

It began to swing its halberd around wildly, clearly in a panic.

Spiros moved in for the kill.

He charged the beast, drawing his sword and shield.

The Gargoyle roared as he approached, stabbing at him with its halberd. The Greco dodged the attack by dropping onto his side and sliding under and past the blade just before it hit the ground. He slid a little further as he willed flames to superheat his sword. Which was soon glowing red. He slid in between the monster's legs and slashed at one of them with his sword. The hot blade cut right through the creature's leg and crippled it.

Spiros' slide came to a halt, he spun around and used a burst of air to hop onto his opponent's back. He raised his sword to strike but the Gargoyle shot into the air with a few flaps with its wings. It spun around and punched Spiros, which sent our hero crashing into the ground. The Vanguard quickly got to his feet as his foe landed. He snarled and used a burst of air to propel himself forward at high speeds, shoulder checking the monster in the gut. The attack left the creature stunned, Spiros took this opportunity to back off and catch his breath.

He hadn't used his powers this extensively in years. The chain had once been his limitation, now it was his own physical and mental stamina. Which weren't what they used to be. It would take some time and a bit of training to get back to peak condition.

The Gargoyle must of noticed he was tired because it unleashed another streak of flames from its chest. Spiros quickly raised his sheild, dropped to a crouch rested his sword on the top edge of his shield. As the flames past harmlessly around him, like they had when he had faced the Lindworm, he prepared his counter attack.

His sword hummed as it began to glow with a heavenly light. Like a miniature sun was forming around the blade. When the flames let up, Spiros let a bolt of iridescent light to shoot from his blade. The bolt of energy struck the monster in the chest with a loud WHUMP noise.

The creature staggered back, clearly in pain.

"This is for Eoghan!" Spiros shouted.

He then dropped his shield, realizing it would throw off his aim and willed ice to form on his blade. With a yell he threw the sword like a spear into the Gargoyle's head. The creature roared in agony as it thrashed its head around trying to dislodge the weapon.

Slowly but surely, ice began to form on the beast's body. It struggled against the inevitable in an effort to survive, but it was only delaying it's demise. Spiros ran forward just as the ice began to overcome the Gargoyle's halberd. He jumped up and ripped Wee Dingwall's kilt down from the halberd as it to was engulfed in ice. As he landed behind the Gargoyle, which was now frozen solid, he whistled for Visilis.

The Griffin came from the fort at high speeds, crashing into the frozen monster and sending chunks of ice flying through the air without breaking speed. He then pulled up and shot back up into the heavens. Spiros' sword landed right in front of him. It's handle and blade still covered in frost.

As the snowfall increased, he took the weapon in his hand, tied the shredded kilt around the handle and ran back towards the fort.

...

Duncan had escaped from his cell, thanks to Jon. Who snuck down into the dungeon while Spiros, Fergus, Lord Dingwall and the other defenders were preoccupied with repulsing the siege.

Young Macintosh was determined not to let Duncan escape.

He leaped down from the battlements, longsword pointed down to strike at the rebel leader. Who noticed his shadow and rolled forward, evading the attack.

Jon passed his father a sword from a slain Fort Guard.

"Shall we?" Duncan asked, eager to fight.

Macintosh scowled and pulled his blade from the ground.

The two locked blades, while Jon fended off guards who were attempting to come to Vailean's aid.

As the two battled it out, Merida and her sister were giving instructions to the underground passages. They only told a handful of guards, who were sending the biggest families down first. By sending everyone down gradually and selectively they would effectively empty the fort while avoiding the possibility of a mass panic. Which would result in everyone trying to flee at once, which would slow the evacuation dramatically.

The Roman's were now sending soldiers packed into small boats to land on shore and scale the fort's walls. Merida had sent a small group of archers to try and hold them off. It was too bad they couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Although, the harsh wind may to be blame, another factor may have been that Highlander's didn't used bows all that much.

Most of the clan's warriors preferred to get up close and personal with their foe.

As she rushed to help the archers, she encountered a young boy calling for help and trying to looking around crying for his mother and father. Merida felt her stomach churn as she saw why. A hammer headed ballista bolt, designed for destroying walls or crushing infantry, had landed amongst a group of people who were probably heading for the tunnels.

The although battered and bruised, the boy was the sole survivor of the attack. One problem was that his leg was pinned under the bolt's iron hammer shaped tip. Made out of iron and at least weighing a few hundred pounds, Merida knew she wouldn't be able to move it all by herself. Regardless she rushed over to help however she could.

"Princess!" The boy said as she ran to his aid.

"I'm going to get you help." She assured him.

"You're going to need the entire Macintosh Clan just to make it budge." He winced.

"Nah, I just need a friend." She replied, turning her gaze skyward.

She whistled sharply.

"Visilis!"

The thunderous cry of an eagle drowned out the sounds of the raging battle. The Griffin swooped down before beginning to rapidly flap his wings in order to hover just above the duo.

Merida pointed to the ballista bolt and the Griffin bobbed his head. He grasped the bolt with his talons and lifted it skyward with ease. Merida quickly pulled the boy away from the crater as Visilis flew further into the sky, the Griffin slowly spun around like a top and on the second full rotation, threw the bolt back at one of the ship's in the Roman fleet. The hammer headed tip punched a hole straight through the deck and went straight through the rest of the ship, which sank rapidly as a result.

Back on the ground, Merida flagged down Young MacGuffin who slung the injured boy over his shoulder and rushed him to safety.

"Incoming!" A guard shouted.

Merida turned to see a salvo of ballista bolts flying in from the lake. One of them was seconds away from skewering her. She knew there was little time for her to flee, but luckily she wouldn't need to.

Seona rolled in from the side, superheating her blades as she did so. She put herself between her sister and the projectile. She raised her double bladed sword and faced its edges to the oncoming threat. Before even making contact with her weapon, the balista's tip began to glow orange. When it hit Seona's sword, it split apart like a banana peel. The two halves impaled themselves in the ground on opposite sides of the girls before bursting into flames.

"Nice one sis." Merida told her sibling.

"Thanks." She replied.

The mild snow fall had now turned into a blizzard.

The two sisters felt the ground shake and rumble , guards were now shouting for them at the top of the eastern wall. The duo rushed up the stairs to see the a terrifying sight.

Rising out of the lake, covered in molten lava and chunks of bedrock which were sliding off the hull, was an Omegasevrian Airship. The vessel was a least a mile long, its hull was shaped like hexagon. Colossal ballista turrets jutted out from the smooth hull like quills on a porcupine with a range of rotation of about 180 degrees. Along the undersides of the ship were four massive spinning blades that resembled windmills. They pointing diagonally, towards the ground. The rear two angled back just a bit, in order to give the massive ship thrust. The bridge was a glass enclosure set atop a tall spire positioned at the ship's aft. A pair seccondary bridges could be seen, protruding from midship like red blemishes. At the front to the ship was a large tip that resembled the upper part of a bird's beak. Thick red lines of paint, scratched and scorched ran along the sides of the vessel.

"What is that?" Vailean shouted as he saw the ship slowly positioning itself over the shoreline.

"The herald of a new era!" Duncan replied, realizing his opponent was distracted by the spectacle. He punched Young Macintosh in the gut and quickly disarmed him while was was stunned.

Jon dispatched the last guard and passed his father a crossbow, who then looked down at his defeated foe.

"Are we taking prisoners father?" Jon asked.

"No, we're not." Duncan replied, shooting Young Macintosh in the chest.

Merida choked back a sob as her friend cried out in agony before falling silent.

Thunder boomed, lighting shot down from the sky. It appears normal at first, but it arced as it neared the ground. Connecting with the Spiros' blade as he leaped down into the fray from the battlements. Duncan jumped back as the vanguard's blade struck the earth as he landed in a crouch, electrifying the air and making his hair stand on end.

Spiros quickly spun around and swept Duncan's legs out from under him. As he fell, the vanguard super heated his blade and brought it down on his foe's leg. Cutting it in two at the thigh.

Two rebel fighters rushed Spiros, but Merida shot one of them with her bow and took aim at the second when Jon crossed into her line of fire. She quickly lowered her bow.

Jon turned to the solider.

"Get my father to safety, the vanguard is mine."

The solider complied and carried Duncan off.

"Well here we are Spiros, tell me how frustrating it is to know that everyone close to you is destined to die." Jon sneered.

"We'll Jon, you I never really considered us close. Yet, I'll send you to the River Styx anyway. I hope you've got a few coins on you. The old ferry men isn't one for charity." Our hero replied.

Jon lashed out with his sword, Spiros ducked and swung his sword vertically. The tip of his weapon left a bloody gash on his adversary's face. Jon countered by kicking the Greco in the chest, which send Spiros staggering backwards. His foe began swinging at him wildly as he tried to recover. Our hero responded by shooting a blast of wind that sent his foe flying back into the nearby wall.

As Jon crumpled to the ground, Spiros rushed him. Sword held back, ready to strike. Jon rolled forward as his opponent drove his sword into the piece of wall that he had been in front of seconds before. He then sprang up and slashed Spiros horizontally across his back.

As the the two fought on, Seona and Merida rushed to Young Macintosh who hadn't moved since he'd been shot. He was still breathing but just barely. Merida instantly reached for the bolt but her sister swatted her hand away.

"That's worst thing we could do, it'll speed up the bleeding." She chided.

"What are we supposed to do, just leave it in him?" She shouted.

"For now." Her sister replied grimly.

A dark shadow loomed overhead, drawing their gaze skyward.

The airship was directly overhead, but its center had a gaping hole in it. Upon closer inspection, Merida realized it was glass. A circular glass lens that filled a gap in the center of the ship. She looked around and noticed that the weather was clearing up. Instantly she and her sister exchanged looks. The memories came flooding back, memories of using their mother's reading spectacles to burn ants on sunny days.

Now it was different.

They were the ants.

A.N- Well this is it folks, next update will be the finale! (Might upload it as two chapters maybe even three, but at the same time) I'm so excited! Sorry these updates are taking longer once again. School is very time consuming, but never fear! Summer is coming my friends! Next time, it all boils down to the epic final battle! What will become of the Romans? Will Young Macintosh live or die? What will become of Balor, Jon, The Horned King, Duncan, Merida, Spiros and all the others? How will the Triplets contribute to the final battle ( and they will, its all hands on deck people!). More importantly, how will our heroes topple the Omegasevrian army and their airship?! We'll find out soon enough!

I look forward to answering any questions and reading your reviews!

Until then, polish your armor, sharpen your swords, pound on your shields and PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

Are you pumped, cuz I am!

Wolf out!


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